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U.K. incumbent reportedly discussing 60 million deal to take full control of TV joint venture.
BT is in talks to take full control of TV joint venture YouView in a deal that could be worth up to £60 million (€69 million).
This is according to sources cited in a Telegraph report on Thursday, who said that owning all of YouView would enable BT to invest in the platform and accelerate its development.
Originally called Project Canvas, YouView is a joint venture between BT, TalkTalk, infrastructure provider Arqiva, and the U.K.’s public TV broadcasters, namely the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5.
Available as a subscription-free service, YouView offers linear and on-demand content, including catch-up TV services.
According to Thursday’s Telegraph report, BT is concerned that YouView is falling behind rivals Sky and Virgin Media when it comes to functionality.
Earlier this year, Sky launched Sky Q, which among other things allows customers to pause a TV show on one device and pick up where they left off on another. Not to be outdone, Virgin Media unveiled in August a new set-top-box (STB), the V6.
Both offerings give customers access to ultra high-definition (UHD) content, as well as the latest playback and recording features.
According to the Telegraph, YouView’s owners are keen to sell; however, the BBC is proving itself a tough negotiator.
The publicly-funded broadcaster is reportedly pushing for a higher price, and also wants assurances that BT will continue to support certain features, such as the zoom function for partially-sighted users.
