Corporate finance firm criticises YouView

Corporate finance firm Avista Partners has weighed in with its own contribution to the chorus of voices raising concerns about the allegedly anti-competitive impact of BBC-led connected TV project YouView, formerly known as Canvas.

According to a report by the finance firm, YouView is a significant disincentive to commercial investment in the nascent UK IPTV industry. According to Avista, in the year immediately preceding the announcement of plans for Canvas/YouView, investment in IPTV in the UK amounted to US$35m (€26m). Since plans were announced, investment in the sector has fallen to US$400,000 outside the YouView partners, according to the firm.

However, BT and TalkTalk, which both previously had launched IPTV initiatives (the latter through its acquisition of Tiscali UK), are now members of the Canvas/YouView consortium. YouView has responded by saying that the project will act as a catalyst to investment from both content and device manufacturers.