TalkTalk eyes BT Sport
TalkTalk is in discussions about distributing the BT Sport channels on YouView, as the quadplay provider moves to beef up its TV offering.
TalkTalk, a shareholder in YouView along with BT, Arqiva and the terrestrial broadcasters, revealed it signed up 150,000 subscribers to the IPTV service in the first three months of 2012, taking its total base to 230,000.
The ISP, which provides its high-end Talk Talk Plus TV customers with a free YouView box and subscription if they extend their contract, is focussed on offering more kids, entertainment and movie content – but sees sport as a potentially valuable addition.
TalkTalk commercial director Tristia Clarke said the channels would complement its Sky Sports package, which it offers to subscribers on a monthly basis.
“We’re talking to BT. As Sky do, they will look for points of distribution. The channels won’t be there for launch but we are talking to them,” said Clarke. “It would be a way to drive incremental revenue in the same way we do with Sky.”
She added that 20% of TalkTalk’s TV subscribers had paid for content, with kids show Peppa Pig and Life Of Pi film among the most popular.
TalkTalk also sees an opportunity to beef up its portfolio of live streamed foreign-language channels, beyond the current Star and Star Plus offering, due to the close fit with its international telephone packages.
It is close to finalising a deal with aggregator Thema which distributes a raft of Arabic, African, Caribbean and Polish channels wholesale.
Clarke is also keen to keep innovating and along with the launch of a mobile remote record app, plans to integrate the live streaming channels into the main YouView EPG to boost exposure form their current position in the TalkTalk portal.
“People spend the majority of their time in the YouView EPG and it is a journey to the TalkTalk player,” she said. “Over time we are looking at streaming our live channels through the main EPG.”
Separately, Talk Talk is planning to offer entry package customers a free basic YouView box that does not offer PVR functionality when they renew.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?neww...hp.CsAPYfBZUTY