Competition Commission delays Kangaroo deadline

The Competition Commission has extended the deadline for its Project Kangaroo investigation until next year, it has been reported.

Delaying the investigation has come after a deadline set for partners of the project themselves had missed a deadline for providing the Competition Commission with details of its proposed service.

The delay to the service - a joint project between ITV, Channel 4 and BBC Worldwide - shows the willingness of the Competition Commission to accept such services with a relatively open mind.

On-demand TV, particularly via broadband services such as BBC iPlayer or 4OD, has long been seen the natural descendent of television, and as such it is believed that industry watchdogs too, believe the format should be given space to grow.

Acknowledging the scope of the proposed on-demand service, the Commission has said that although the investigation has so far centred on the impact the service will have on UK services, "[the Commission has] not ruled out the possibility that the relevant geographic market(s) is/are wider than the UK".

Video on demand has already provided Virgin Media a lifeline since BBC's iPlayer drew in several million viewers through the cable TV service, proving itself a successful and popular service with the public.

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