SeeSaw, a free online aggregation service offering a selection of UK broadcasters’ content, has launched after completing beta tests. So far, SeeSaw has signed content partnership deals with BBC Worldwide, Channel 4, Five and several major independent production companies. However, the company could not ink a deal with ITV. SeeSaw is completely funded by advertising […]
SeeSaw, a free online aggregation service offering a selection of UK broadcasters’ content, has launched after completing beta tests. So far, SeeSaw has signed content partnership deals with BBC Worldwide, Channel 4, Five and several major independent production companies. However, the company could not ink a deal with ITV.
SeeSaw is completely funded by advertising with Ikea and Kraft among the advertisers that have already signed up. The service has been trialled by 20,000 people during its beta phase. It will go live with over 3,000 hours of content. SeeSaw’s owner Arquiva hopes to cash in on the growing trend of viewers watching back catalogue shows online via each broadcaster’s own website.
18/02/2010
Born from the ashes of Project Kangaroo, the joint venture between BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4 that foundered on regulatory disapproval, SeeSaw is powered by Kangaroo’s technology.
Arquiva has also secured deals with a range of UK independent producers from Shed to Talkback to supply 3,000+ hours of programming, and is in negotiations to add American TV franchises in the near future.
At the moment the service is free, however there are plans to introduce a premium service that will let you rent major shows. This will allow you 48 hours to stream the show without adverts.
SeeSaw’s CEO, Pierre-Jean Sebert, said they were targeting nearly two and half million people in the UK who regularly watch TV via video on demand (VoD) services such as the BBC iPlayer.
SeeSaw could be followed by a wave of similar offerings this year. The US streaming service Hulu – which was launched by NBC, ABC and Fox in 2008, and is second in US online video to YouTube – has been toying with a UK launch for some time.
Meanwhile, Project Canvas, the BBC-led successor to Kangaroo, would allow channels to link to their own sites through a central point – it’s slated for a September 2010 start.
www.seesaw.com
