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SeeSaw seals BBCWW deal SeeSaw, the upcoming UK online TV service from broadcast transmission company Arqiva, has confirmed its first content deal – with former Project Kangaroo partner BBC Worldwide (BBCWW).  The long-anticipated tie-up will see shows from the BBC archive, including classic episodes of Doctor Who and newer series like Cranford, Lark Rise to Candleford and That Mitchell & Webb Look, join the SeeSaw line-up at launch.Programming will be offered on both a free and paid basis, depending on its age, though the details of SeeSaw's precise business model have yet to be unveiled. The service is due to launch "in the coming months." SeeSaw platform controller John Keeling (pictured) was unable to say how many hours of BBCWW content the site would have access to but, speaking to C21, described it as a "significant" amount. "It's not all about size," he said. "It's not just about how many thousands of hours you've got. It's about how you present them. By the time we get to launch there will be a lot of content on this platform – more than enough to do what we want to do." BBCWW – which was a partner in the Project Kangaroo joint venture out of which SeeSaw emerged – struck a deal to put a limited array of longform TV on YouTube last month. The pubcaster's commercial arm, which has recently been ordered to scale back some of its activities, including those in the digital space, already has longform deals with MSN and Blinkbox in the UK. MSN last month signed a VoD agreement with trade body Pact that should make it easier to add programming from UK indies. Keeling said that SeeSaw had also been in talks with the organisation and its members. He added that non-UK programming, from territories such as the US and Australia, would also be provided by the service.  Keeling refused to be drawn on whether SeeSaw already has a deal with Channel 4 (another of the Kangaroo consortium founders), as previously reported by C21. However, he said that the broadcaster's recent deal with YouTube – a far more extensive arrangement than the site's tie-up with BBCWW – hadn't put a dent in its own ambitions."We welcome the competition. It's a big enough market but the key is to get this right for the consumer," he said. "It's not about an out-of-town hypermarket approach. I'm not saying that's what YouTube is but it's not about stacking shelves high – it's about actually looking after the content and looking after the viewer. I'm not a believer that if you just put it on the shelves people will come to it on a regular basis." Google CEO Erick Schmidt said in April that the company would look to introduce pay-per-view video on YouTube "very soon" and a report from Wall Street Journal blog All Things Digital yesterday claimed that this strategic shift had gathered significant momentum. The development puts further pressure on the likes of SeeSaw, not to mention Hulu, which has yet to establish a foothold beyond the US, but has also been locked in talks with UK broadcasters and indie producers. ITV has repeatedly been named as the company most likely to reach a deal with Hulu, which is understood to be seeking some kind of exclusivity, but Keeling laughed this off as "the hot tip since last June." He wouldn't say, however, whether an ITV-Hulu tie-up would impact SeeSaw's ambitions. "I'm not saying that we can do with or without any one content provider. We just want to provide the best possible range of content that we can for the UK audience and to schedule it accordingly," said Keeling. SeeSaw CEO Pierre-Jean Sebert added in a statement: "Today's announcement is a significant milestone for SeeSaw, demonstrating our commitment to delivering a rich and varied range of British programming. By offering an enhanced viewing experience and great content, SeeSaw will become the ideal destination for consumers to indulge their passion for TV." Jonathan Webdale 2 Dec 2009 © C21 Media 2009 
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