A product of the collaborative efforts of a myriad of providers, from channels BBC, ITV, 4 and 5 to service providers BT and TalkTalk, as well as telecoms company Arqiva, the project – known as both ‘Canvas’ and ‘Kangaroo’ during its storied history – has faced numerous challenges before becoming the box proudly presented by CEO Richard Halton on the 4th of July to an expectant press.
YouView has indeed had a protracted and meandering journey to market since its announcement in 2008 – with Lord Sugar brought on board to steer the ship as Chairman along the way in 2011 – and the final product shown reflects the scaled back vision that his strong hand and industry experience has brought to the device, now due out by the end of July.
YouView is at its core is an evolution of the humble FreeView box, delivering TV, radio, on-demand services and web content via a set-top device which plugs into an aerial and internet connection.
This aims to deliver a service which can compete against subscription TV models from the likes of Sky and Virgin, giving users DVR (digital video recorder) functionality, the freedom watch on-demand programming, as well as the choice to subscribe to additional pay channels if required – all without a monthly fee.
With the additional boon of customers signed up to broadband from one of the partners – BT and TalkTalk – being able to actually unlock access to additional YouView features and functionality when connected, it all seems to be an excellent proposition.
The challenge in today’s climate will be to convince people to pay the suggested RRP of £300 for a digital service in a relatively embryonic state in comparison to competition.
A scant selection of channels available at launch, a paucity when it comes to HD content, and the absence of support for hugely popular movie subscription services such as Netflix and Lovefilm will no doubt prove a hurdle for many.
Consumers with an internet-connected games console in their home already have a set-top box that can outperform YouView in a number of important categories – yet the service hinges on promise that there will be a wealth of features and functions to come further down the line.
Also, the high up-front price well become less of an issue as broadband providers are very likely to subsidise the box, bundling YouView in with home broadband and phone packages at a reduced cost in the future. ISPs are yet to reveal their plans regarding this, with TalkTallk set to announce pricing information at the end of the month.
YouView does indeed have an appealing and intuitive user experience – albeit missing a few tricks that Sky+ and TiVo boast – and does prove impressive in terms of robust integration of catch-up content from the likes of the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.
So it does deliver in terms of being a set-top box that turns viewers into schedulers, watching their favourite shows whenever they want via an aerial and broadband connection.
Technophiles are sure to see the shortcomings from some way off, however, with YouView boasting just six HD channels at launch and lacks access to many popular channels that subscribers to Sky and Virgin are willing to pay a premium for.
Video quality for the catch-up services does also leave a little to be desired, as the stream does not scale up or down according to the speed of the connection.
So those YouView owners with the minimum required speed of 3Mb will get the same picture as consumers with a 100Mb connection, even though a higher resolution picture could certainly be delivered via the latter.
Do also bear in mind that at present, any on-demand viewing will also come out of a monthly internet allowance, meaning exceeding the data limit due to an Emmerdale omnibus could well become a real issue for entry-level broadband subscribers.
Also, the lack of a wireless connectivity option at launch could mean snaking wires all over the house to connect the internet to the box if the router is some ways off, as opposed to the tailored service that an installation can provide.
Although it clearly intends to be a strong proposition for late digital TV adopters, a steep retail price and relative lack of must-have TV shows at launch could prove its downfall.
A pledge that the likes of Sky will be offering a selection of channels via a service called NowTV is promising, but this is certain to be something that consumers will once again be paying either a monthly or per show premium for on YouView.
The success of the FreeView box was largely down to when the hardware became incredibly affordable and embedded in many televisions as standard, whereas at launch it was an expensive, and lean, proposition.
Despite the combined efforts of the UK’s leading terrestrial television purveyors, YouView is at risk of repeating the same mistake, without the luxury of time to gather subscribers and reach a critical mass.
Competition is bloodier than ever for that contentious spot underneath the TV set, with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s Playstation 3 both shifting from being games machines to entertainment hubs, and search giant Google now offering their own on-demand TV solution.
Whether YouView can succeed remains to be seen, but in its current form – a ‘carcass’ or ‘shell’ of a TV experience to quote Lord Sugar – it’s hard to see consumers pay £300 for what is still a barebones piece of technology.
Strong support and the inevitable bombardment of YouView branding from invested parties will certainly be in the offing, but a compelling pricepoint and heavy subsidies from ISPs will be what YouView service desperately needs if they expect consumers to take a second look this Summer.
