Telewest commences 'Teleport' VOD rollout

Telewest has begun the first stage of rollout for its new "revolutionary" TV-on-demand service.

'Teleport' officially launched today to some 26,000 customers in Cheltenham and Gloucester following the soft launch of a movies-on-demand service in Bristol in January.

Initial VOD offerings include:

• Teleport Movies: around 200 current and library films from FilmFlex, costing between £2 and £3.50 for a 24-hour rental period
• Teleport Replay: a second chance to catch popular programmes from the previous week, such as EastEnders and Casualty
• Teleport Life: specialist interest programmes
• Teleport TV (soon): classic BBC series such as French and Saunders and Waking the Dead, plus music videos on a subscription basis

A "substantial" amount of the content is available at no cost for subscribers, with top tier customers receiving most elements of the service as part of their existing package.

"Teleport has arrived and it's genuinely going to change the way people watch TV," declared Eric Tveter, Telewest president and chief operating officer. "The schedule normally dictates viewing, but our customers will have the choice and convenience of a service they can tailor - it's TV on their terms."