Kangaroo bounces on to screens in December

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 17 Nov 2008 at 17:25

The first trials of television on-demand service Kangaroo will take place in December, following the Competition Commission's release of its preliminary findings on 25 November.

WorldwideVodco, the holding company for the project, has confirmed that Kangaroo will hop into alpha testing in December, with a closed beta slated to begin in January. The ambitious release cycle suggests Kangaroo, a join venture between the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, could be ready for full release as early as March 2009.

However, it must first receive the all-clear from the Competition Commission which is investigating the possibility that Kangaroo could charge higher prices to wholesale buyers of its archive, potentially raising the price for viewers. It is a claim vehemently denied by the on-demand service.

"The concerns of some third parties that would result in [Kangaroo] having strong retail market power and be able to drive up prices is unsustainable given that nearly all transactions will be free and advertising will be sold in a market which is highly competitive," Kangaroo reports in its submission to the Commission.

The Competition Commission has until 8 February to publish the final review of the service, though it's expected to release its findings in January.

Should the service overcome the regulatory hurdle, it must also find itself a new chief executive following the departure of Ashley Highfield to Microsoft, just four months after he was appointed.