Canvas on defensive as 40 tech vendors pledge support

Project Canvas, the online venture between a number of British broadcasters and internet operators, has hit back at criticism about its launch. The Canvas group, which includes the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, BT, Talk Talk and Arqiva, has said that over 40 equipment manufacturers and TV technology providers have pledged support.

Director Richard Halton said it expects set-top boxes, internet-enabled televisions and digital video recorders with YouView branding to go on sale early next year. “The response from industry has been phenomenal. For us this is a great endorsement of our open approach to working with industry partners,” he said. Virgin Media, internet TV firm IP Vision and Six TV recently complained to regulator Ofcom about the service.

Most recently, United for Local Television, an industry association of local television operators, complained about Canvas’s “challenging and arbitrary technical specification”, potential platform access fees and how easy it will be to find content from smaller content providers on the platform.