Virgin objects to Canvas control

[khurramdar]

Virgin objects to Canvas control


By Robert Briel
March 4, 2010

Cable Congress 2010 â€" Brussels. This afternoon, Virgin CEO Neil Berkett is expected to attack the BBC Trust over the handling of the on-demand online video to TV Canvas project. According to a report in The Daily Telegraph, he will say “the BBC Trust’s consultation has been a shameless whitewash that contravenes almost every principle of good regulation,” during the re-scheduled session ‘Cable, Content, Google â€" a cocktail for success?’

Berkett objects to proposals to force all broadcasters to use a single brand controlled by the BBC and his partners, which he claims will penalise commercial rivals. He thinks the BBC Trust should have addressed concerns to prevent the BBC emerging as the de facto gatekeeper of the digital world.”The Trust is incapable of regulating th BBC’s activities in an objective way”.

Besides the BBC, Project Canvas is backed by ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, BT and TalkTalk. Earlier, BSkyB has also attacked the consultation, and the Digital TV Group (DTG) has told the BBC Trust that the joint venture partners in Project Canvas are still failing to engage with the industry. (See Broadband TV News passim).