It was little surprise that BSkyB opposed Project Canvas in May – after all, not only is the BBC’s proposed open IPTV standard aimed squarely at those “unable or unwilling to pay a monthly television subscription” (ie. Sky”s target customers), Auntie’s initial submission was also painfully short on detail.
But, now that the Beeb has doubled the page count in the Canvas spec, Sky is getting even more disgruntled…
After the BBC Trust on July 26 opened another consultation – this time on the updated proposal – Sky has written to the trust to say the five-week consultation deadline of September 1 is “wholly unrealistic”, “demonstrates disregard for the principles of good regulation” and “will only serve to undermine further industry confidence in its ability and inclination to act as a genuinely independent regulator of the BBC” (via FT.com).
Get her! The trust defends itself via C21 thusly: “The trust’s assessment of Canvas is a rigorous process that gives ample opportunity for comment and expression of views.”
Maybe a third trust consultation will set Sky’s mind at rest? After the surrent September 1 deadline, the regulator will put its provisional conclusions out for four weeks’ of industry feedback this coming autumn…
Sky, which can only deliver VOD via push currently, is due to launch a pull VOD feature next year – the same year Canvas TVs are expected to offer such features…