SeeSaw selected as name of video-on-demand service

by Fiona Ramsay, Media Week 13-May-08, 07:30

LONDON - Project Kangaroo, the video-on-demand service from ITV, BBC Worldwide and Channel 4, is expected to launch under the name of SeeSaw, Media Week understands.

However, the launch, mooted for late summer, may be delayed until next year, it has emerged. BBC Worldwide's involvement in SeeSaw has yet to approved by the BBC Trust. A BBC Trust spokesman said it was "up to the management to bring a fully developed proposal to the Trust, but nothing has been scheduled yet".

A consensus on the commercial model has also yet to be agreed. While ITV wants a free-to-view proposition, some of Channel 4's US content must be pay-per-view, while the BBC is said to be concerned about linking ads with its content.

The venture also needs clearance from the Office of Fair Trading, which is currently investigating whether Kangaroo is a potential threat to competition in the video-on-demand sector.

Sources revealed that SeeSaw had been chosen from a shortlist of names for the service. Media buyers generally welcomed the name. Rhys McLachlan, MediaCom's head of broadcast implementation, said: "It is better than Kangaroo, which was not exactly a strong brand like [UKTV channel] Dave."

Arena BLM's business director of television, Caroline Binfield, agreed: "It is a refreshing name in that it is not a derivative of some media terminology and it is simple and easy to understand, with good branding potential."