UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB has hit a snag in the rollout of its high-definition TV service after France's Thomson failed to deliver enough set-top boxes.
Installation for 17,000 households has been delayed, and in some cases households who had been told they would receive the HD service in time for next month's World Cup will not have it installed until after the tournament has begun.
"We ordered more than enough boxes from our supplier to meet strong demand from customers, and we're ready to install them, but they've not arrived from Thomson," a Sky spokesman said today.
"Most of those customers will be offered an installation date within two weeks of their original date. Every customer who was scheduled to have their HD box before the World Cup will either receive it before or during (the tournament)."
Broadcasters had high hopes that the World Cup would showcase the next-generation technology, which offers a sharper and more vivid picture, but due to rollout problems analysts expect only about 100,000 households around Europe will see the tournament in high-definition.
The BBC is broadcasting matches in high-definition, but they will only be available to Sky HD subscribers and some users on NTL's cable system.