Video-on-demand service SeeSaw launches tomorrow, following a successful beta test of 20,000 people. The service will give users access to over 3,000 hours of programming from the BBC, Channel 4, Five, and some independent production companies. ITV have not signed on, but SeeSaw have reached an agreement with distributor Digital Rights Group to access ITV shows like Kingdom and Doc Martin.
SeeSaw will effectively be a version of the BBC's iPlayer but with a broader range of content. The only notable difference seems to be the inclusion of adverts to create a revenue source for content providers and SeeSaw themselves. The service will also have a premium paid-for area, which is expected to contain popular US television shows.
2.5 million people use video-on-demand services every week in the UK, but it still only accounts for 5% of the way people watch TV. The fact is, people aren't likely to ditch their TVs and huddle around a computer screen, no matter how small the gap between monitors and flatscreen TVs get.
Personally, as a big TV-watcher, I only rarely use the BBC iPlayer in its intended web environment, as the iPlayer is integrated into Virgin Media on my TV (as it is for, say, Wii and Playstation 3 console owners.)
So, for me, SeeSaw offers nothing new. I have access to Virgin Media's TV OnDemand service, and they have ITV content. But what about you? Will you be using SeeSaw? Are you already a big iPlayer user and like the idea of that viewing experience for Channel 4 and Five shows? Or does the whole notion of watching TV on a computer screen just make your eyes itch?
