Kangaroo to bounce again or not?

No plans to revive Kangaroo, says Microsoft

Platform: Internet | Author: Danielle Long | Source: nma.co.uk | Published: 20.02.09

Microsoft has denied it plans to resurrect Project Kangaroo as part of its MSN video-on-demand plans.

http://www.newmediaage.co.uk/Articles/41599/No+plans+to+revive+Kangaroo,+says+Microsoft.html

Kangaroo not quite a dead dodo?

Microsoft to fill void left by Project Kangaroo

by Gareth Jones, Revolution UK 20-Feb-09, 10:00

LONDON - Microsoft is in talks with the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 to launch an internet TV service that could see the MSN brand fill the void left by Project Kangaroo , Revolution can reveal.

http://www.brandrepublic.com/Revolution/News/882957/Microsoft-talks-resurrect-Project-Kangaroo/

Not so much _low_ profile as _no_ profile...

Interesting article that, on the front page of this week's New Media Age (see below). 

Interesting for many reasons, not least because of the total lack of even a single mention of Blinkx.

This is a typical paragraph: 

"But the [Kangaroo] players [ie BBC, Channel 4, ITV] face increased competition in the market from the likes of Five (which has doubled the number of users viewing on Five Demand), Sky's recently launched Sky Player and web TV company Joost, along with potential new arrivals like Apple, Google and News Corp and NBC joint venture Hulu."

This is where Blinkx's determination to keep a low profile - although God alone knows what reason they have for doing so - is damaging the company and shareholder value. Why isn't Blink being mentioned in the same breath as the companies above? Why isn't Blinkx being mentioned at all?

How long, I wonder until there is a full-scale shareholder revolt over the way this company is being (mis)managed?

'PROJECT KANGAROO' - FINAL REPORT (Competition Commission)

RNS Number : 7448M 
Competition Commission 
04 February 2009 

News Release 

05/094 February 2009 

'PROJECT KANGAROO' - FINAL REPORT 

The Competition Commission (CC) has decided to block the proposed video on 
demand (VOD) joint venture between the BBC through BBC Worldwide Limited (BBCW), 
ITV plc (ITV) and Channel Four Television Corporation (C4)-UKVOD, also known as 
'Project Kangaroo'. It has concluded that none of the other remedies proposed 
could remove the threat to competition in the VOD market. 
Peter Freeman, CC Chairman and Chairman of the inquiry group, said: 
After detailed and careful consideration, we have decided that this joint 
venture would be too much of a threat to competition in this developing market 
and has to be stopped. 
The case is essentially about the control of UK-originated TV content. VOD is an 
exciting and fast-moving development in TV, which makes programmes previously 
broadcast available to viewers at a time of their choice. The evidence we saw 
showed that UK viewers particularly value programmes produced and originally 
shown in the UK and do not regard other content as a good substitute. 
BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4 together control the vast majority of this 
material, which puts them in a very strong position as wholesalers of TV content 
to restrict competition from other current and future providers of VOD services 
to UK viewers. We thought the joint venture parties would have an interest in 
doing so, in order to make Project Kangaroo a success. 
Without this venture, BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4 would be close 
competitors of each other. We thought that viewers would benefit from better VOD 
services if the parties-possibly in conjunction with other new and/or already 
established providers of VOD-competed with each other. 
We considered very carefully a combination of measures aimed at removing the 
wholesaling activities of the joint venture and safeguarding commercially 
sensitive information, but we were not persuaded that these measures would 
overcome the risk that membership of this joint venture would influence the 
parties' commercial decisions, particularly in relation to the wholesaling of 
VOD content. 
We looked closely at the possible benefits to viewers which this joint venture 
might bring. We found that these and other benefits could come just as well from 
other projects that were less damaging to competition. We expect these 
alternatives to be much more likely to develop in the light of our decision. 
We are aware of the various important proposals coming from Ofcom and the 
Digital Britain project regarding the future of public sector broadcasting and 
the position of the three companies involved in this joint venture. None of the 
proposals is specific or imminent. Our job has been to examine a specific 
proposal for a particular new and developing market. The effects on compe tition 
of other, future proposals for public service broadcasters have yet to be 
examined. 
In its final report, published today at www.competition-commission.org.uk, the 
CC has confirmed its provisional finding that the joint venture is likely to 
result in a substantial lessening of competition (SLC) in the supply of UK TV 
VOD content at the wholesale and retail levels. 
The CC published a notice of possible remedies to address the SLC in December 
2008. These possible remedies included putting in place access remedies to 
control the way that content is offered to other providers and/or making 
material modifications to the terms of the joint venture. Other possible 
measures have since been suggested by various parties, including a proposal by 
the joint venture partners to remove the joint venture's ability to wholesale 
content combined with measures to prevent the exchange of commercially sensitive 
information. 
Notes for editors 
1. The CC is an independent public body which carries out investigations into 
mergers, markets and the regulated industries. 
2. The reference was made by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) on 30 June 2008. The 
CC extended the timetable for the inquiry in August, whilst it awaited important 
information on details of the joint venture, which were still being negotiated 
by the parties. 
3. The Enterprise Act 2002 empowers the OFT to refer to the CC completed or 
pro posed mergers for investigation and report which create or enhance a 25 per 
cent share of supply in the UK (or a substantial part thereof) or where the UK 
turnover associated with the enterprise being acquired is over GBP70 million. 
4. The definition of merger includes a joint venture when two or more enterprises 
cease to be distinct from each other. 
5. Further information on the CC and its procedures, including its policy on the 
provision of information and the disclosure of evidence, can be obtained from 
its website at: www.competition-commission.org.uk. 
6. Enquiries should be directed to Rory Taylor on 020 7271 0242 (email 
rory.taylor@cc.gsi.gov.uk). 

Kangaroo to launch at last?

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article5627414.ece

From The Sunday TimesFebruary 1, 2009

Kangaroo hops to launch

James Ashton 

An internet television service designed to rival YouTube is finally expected to get off the ground this week by getting the green light from the Competition Commission.

Kangaroo, a joint venture between the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, was thrown into doubt in December when the commission raised doubts over a “substantial lessening of competition” in the fast-growing video-on-demand market.

Designed to be a single portal for viewers to catch up on recently broadcast television shows as well as an archive of older programmes, shareholders have reached an agreement to supply rival websites on the same terms.

As a result, Kangaroo, to be funded by advertising, may be ready for launch in late spring. It aims to show more than 10,000 hours of programming, including BBC shows that are more than seven days old.

Before that, they appear on iPlayer, the free service which notched up 41m programme requests in December and 271m during the whole of 2008.

iPlayer has proved so popular that by some estimates it accounts for 5% of UK internet traffic. This led the Digital Britain report last week to suggest the BBC might have to contribute to broadband-delivery costs.

Concerns over Kangaroo had been raised by Virgin Media, independent television producers and BSkyB, the satellite broadcaster 39.1% owned by News Corporation, parent of The Sunday Times.

From New Media Age 15th Jan 2009

Web TV firms in fresh bid to stall Kangaroo

Internet TV companies Joost and Babelgum have made fresh calls to the Competition Commission to stop Kangaroo, the BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4 joint-venture VoD service. The move is in response to the CC's preliminary conclusion last last year that Kangaroo would likely result in a 'substantial lessening of competition'. Joost and Babelgum have challenged the joint venture throughout the CC's inquiry, whose final decision is due next month.