British terrestrial broadcasters ITV, BBC Worldwide and Channel 4 are to introduce an on-demand content service in 2008 that will bring together more than 10,000 hours of programming.
The service will initially be web-based and be available for distribution on other platforms. Both current and archive programming will be streamed and available for download, and viewers will be able to watch for free, rent or buy.
The joint venture will be owned equally and will work independently as an aggregator of content from the three parties and also third-party content.
The plans are subject to formal approval from the BBC Trust and each broadcaster's board.