Feasibility Study of a Digital Platform for the delivery of UK ... - BFI

UK FILM COUNCIL
BT
2003 2004 2005
Broadband households 796 1,491.0 2350
Source: Screen Digest
The open portal service makes available a number of content propositions, including Yahoo! Music, Games, TV and the recently revamped
Movies and DVD section. The Movies section is no more than a search facility that provides listings, show times, advanced online
ticketing, DVD release information, reviews and previews for all current films, trailers, exclusive clips and detailed coverage of films from
pre-production through DVD. The search facility is powered by ChoiceStream which is reported to be one of the most accurate search
solutions available at present. In terms of downloading feature films or even shot films however, there is nothing available as yet.
Strategic Positioning
Though having a recognisable brand, and close ties with BT, Yahoo! has yet to make its presence felt in the digital content delivery
market. Its Yahoo! Music service is only one of over two dozen music download services collectively occupying a 20 per cent slice of the
UK digital music market (iTunes accounts for the remaining 80 per cent). Even BT has chosen to market iTunes downloads to drive its BT
Yahoo! subscriber acquisitions. In terms of movies, it is expected that when the portal chooses to add such content to its service, then it
will to so on a direct acquisitions basis, as it has done so with music so far. The notable benefit of Yahoo! is its adherence, unlike AOL, to
the open portal strategy, allowing universal access to its services to all UK broadband homes. Moreover, it is a company with a significant
amount of capital, and the strong possibility of directly funding its own programming (as it has done with some television content).
Wanadoo UK
On Demand offering
The development of movies over the Wanadoo UK platform has very much played second fiddle to plans by parent company France
Telecom in France. In the UK, Wanadoo, which is the country’s fifth largest ISP, and the second largest not to directly own a network, has
made much of the Livebox home networking device, local loop unbundling (LLU) services and cheap IP-based voice calls. But unlike its
parent company in France, despite ambitious announcements in 2004 ahead of the Livebox launch, no VoD aspect has appeared to the
service. Nevertheless, it is expected that the move into UK LLU signals the first stage of an eventual launch of IP-based VoD to the TVset
using the Livebox.
Feasibility Study for a Digital Platform for the delivery of Independent UK films and Specialised films to the Home
UK Film Council © 2006
71