Arqiva has announced the completion of its acquisition of the platform assets of Project Kangaroo, the video-on-demand (VOD) platform developed by UKVOD LLP, a joint venture set up by BBC Worldwide, ITV, and Channel 4. The hardware and software technology, and related intellectual property, provide the technical basis of a VOD platform designed for a content aggregation service. Arqiva plans to use the assets to launch a new video-on-demand service to U.K. consumers in the coming months. The platform will aim to host top-end, quality content from leading broadcasters and independent content providers with both free-to-air and pay-content propositions.
Arqiva has also confirmed the appointment of Pierre-Jean Sebert as CEO of the new VOD business. Pierre-Jean was Managing Director U.K. for Eurosport from 2001 to 2005 and had previously engineered the joint-venture with NTL for the launch of British Eurosport in 1999. He also oversaw the launch of EurosportNews. More recently Pierre-Jean has been working as a senior advisor to major media and entertainment companies including Virgin Media, ONO, UKTV, Rainbow Media, UEFA, and Broadcast Australia.
Arqiva provides much of the infrastructure behind television, radio, and wireless communications in the U.K. and has a growing presence in Ireland, mainland Europe, and the USA. There are three business units — Satellite & Media provides global communication platforms to enterprise, government and broadcast customers around the world, with teleports at key locations including Los Angeles, Washington, London and Paris, as well as comprehensive satellite capacity, an international terrestrial fibre network and extensive media facilities — Terrestrial Broadcast, which provides transmission for all U.K. terrestrial TV broadcasters, including the new networks being built for the Digital Switch Over — and Wireless Access, providing cellular, wireless broadband, voice and data solutions for the mobile communications, public safety, local government, and commercial markets.
