NTL begins video on demand rollout

Updated: 08:10, 17:21

Britain's biggest cable operator, NTL, rolled out video on demand services to digital cable customers in the Glasgow area in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

A report on the Digital Spy forums indicated that the service went live at around 02:30, and may be accessed by tuning to channel 107 and pressing the red button.

Thanks to Digital Spy readers, you can check out screenshots of the new service here.

The cable operator, according to information we received last month, is planning to gradually roll out the VOD service to other franchise areas over the coming months.

"We invested over £9bn in our high speed fibre optic network so that we could provide leading access services to our customers," said Simon Duffy, NTL's CEO. "VOD is the latest example of this. NTL On Demand gives our customers a wide choice of quality viewing at a time that suits them. VOD is TV the way it’s meant to be."

VOD allows viewers to pause, rewind and fast-forward programmes made available on the service. Currently available content includes a free Catch-Up TV service with programmes from the BBC, along with chargeable content such as music videos, kids programming, films and adult movies.

Today's rollout of VOD services on ntl's digital cable system comes after years of speculation about precisely what form such a service would take. Back in April 2001, it was reported that NTL and Telewest were planning on jointly developing a VOD service under the Front Row brand. It took until October 2004, however, for there to be concrete word from NTL that a rollout was imminent - and December 2004 before Telewest confirmed that it too was planning on launching a similar service.

In the US, where digital cable and VOD services - including one with content from BBC America - are more established, cable operators tout their video on demand services as being a significant advantage over digital satellite platforms. Here in the UK, the emphasis placed on cable's VOD services could serve to open up a new front in NTL and Telewest's fight to lure subscribers away from Sky. In December, Telewest's chief financial officer indicated that the cableco was planning to "reposition" their entire TV service around its VOD offering.