ITV, Channel 4 and Five have awarded a two-year contract to MGt to provide customer management services for the £20 viewing cards enabling non-Sky Digital subscribers to continue watching the channels on digital satellite. Over one hundred jobs will be created as a result at the company which has offices in London and Fife.

MGt previously provided customer management services - from billing to viewer registration - for the BBC's 'solus' card system. MGt's CEO, Jonathan Guthrie, said:

"We are delighted that ITV, Channel 4 and Five have selected MGt to provide billing and cash collection services for their customers. We have a proven track record in the broadcast sector and have a wealth of experience and expertise in providing integrated outsourced services.

"MGt is one of the few independent companies in UK capable of handling such a large scale contract and we successfully delivered a similar service to the BBC for the previous 18 months.

"Not only does this serve to further underpin our leading position as first choice supplier of services to the broadcast industry, but more importantly it has brought much needed employment to the Fife area."

As Digital Spy's Steven Smith reported earlier this month, it is estimated that 600,000 non-Sky subscribers will need the new card when the BBC 'solus' cards are deactivated. The new cards are needed because although the BBC now transmits on digital satellite unencrypted, ITV, Channel 4 and Five still use Sky's conditional access systems to ensure they are only viewable in the UK. In order for non-Sky subscribers to continue to view these channels, the broadcasters will be contributing "hundreds of thousands of pounds" for conditional access service - and, for the first time, viewers will also be required to pay a one-off fee for the viewing card. The previous BBC 'solus' scheme was free to the viewer.

MGt is predicting a surge in demand for the new cards, but expects this to subside after the first month.