YouView finally launched yesterday, with a successful consumer trial now largely completed. The YouView team have decided to focus heavily on the innovative ‘backward EPG’ which will introduce catch-up TV to more living rooms in the UK.
When we first conducted an industry-wide VOD study a few years ago, we predicted that VOD would eventually migrate to the TV screen, ideally with EPG integration. But back then, TV VOD was only available to a small proportion of UK homes, predominantly via Virgin Media’s TV Catchup service.
But now the UK has reached a TV VOD tipping point. New data from our digital media tracker The Essential Eye shows that 51% of UK homes now has access to VOD on the TV screen, either through their set top box, or through OTT services from the likes of XBox Live and the Playstation Network.
YouView is entering a UK living room environment that is radically different to what it was a couple of years ago. And Google TV is only a few weeks behind. TV providers may not welcome the new competition, but for viewers the choice is greater than ever before.
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