As predicted yesterday on news of Ashley Highfield’s appointment as CEO, it looks like ITV/C4/BBC Worldwide online TV JV Project Kangaroo won’t make the earlier-rumoured June launch date. “Observers” tell Media Week August is more likely, as it reports a recruitment consultant has been hired to find a commercial director. Acting in that position until then, Channel 4’s 4oD head Cosmo Lush. For his own operation, he is now merging 4oD’s seven-day catchup programming in to Channel4.com.
As planned at Kangaroo’s November launch, 4oD – an app like the standalone player and the former Sky Anytime – will make way for whatever Kangaroo will be. MW: “While each of the initiative’s three backers will host individually branded areas on Kangaroo when it launches, the homepage will offer users a central access point where they can select content by genre.” C4 and ITV (LSE: ITV) will sell their own ads in the service, BBC Worldwide is seeking its own third-party sales house.