On Demand Viewing
On-demand television allows you to watch programmes at a time you want to watch them. Most on-demand content and platforms is available online and accessed via a broadband connection. Some on-demand services allow you to download content directly to your PC and play it back at your leisure, whilst others operate a live-streaming service, which enables you to watch programmes directly from the broadcasters' websites. However an increasing number of Digital TV suppliers are offering on-demand services on their platforms.
Depending on the provider, programmes can be paid for per episode, through a flat-rate subscription service or a combination of the two. BBC, ITV and Channel 4 offer all their online programming for free (though some imported shows are unavailable due to rights issues). Channel Five's catch-up service Demand Five offers content from £1.49 per episode, whilst BT Vision, Virgin Media and Sky all offer on-demand programming as part of their paid-for subscription service.
The main advantage of on-demand television is its flexibility: you can watch what you want, when you want, and don't have to stick to schedules - perfect for those of us with busy lives. Some services even allow you to store whole series on your set-top box.
Which broadcasters currently offer On-Demand TV?
All the major UK broadcasters are now making at least some of their content available online or for download to your set-top box. Below is a summary of the services each platform provides, and where they can be accessed.
BBC iPlayer - Virgin Media, BT Vision
The BBC iPlayer allows you to catch up with BBC radio and television programmes up to a week after transmission. Channels covered include BBC1, 2, 3 and 4, CBBC, CBeebies, the BBC News Channel, BBC Parliament, BBC Alba and BBC HD, as well as national and digital BBC radio stations. All shows are free to watch, though some BBC programmes are unavailable on iPlayer due to copyright issues. BBC iPlayer programmes can be watched on the iPlayer website or downloaded onto any computer that supports BBC iPlayer Desktop. Streaming is also supported by the Nintendo Wii and certain mobile phones, including the iPhone, Nokia E71 and HTC Touch Diamond. Virgin Media customers can access iPlayer directly through their TV service with the cable company's paid-for video-on-demand service, while BT Vision offers a cut down version on its Replay service. For a subscription-free service, check out Fetch TV's digital Freeview recorder which gives you free access to the iPlayer through your TV.
Sky Player
Sky Player, formerly known as 'Sky Anytime' offers live and on-demand television from across Sky's extensive range of channels to watch on your computer. Sky's on-demand archives include over 500 films from Sky Movies and Sky Box Office, hundreds of US and domestic drama series, plus documentaries, sports, children's and lifestyle programmes.
Customers who already subscribe to Sky can watch programmes from any of the channels available on their Sky box. Recently transmitted programmes are generally available free to Sky customers, while archived content comes at a charge. Non-Sky customers can pay for a monthly Sky Player subscription which will give them access to live online television from 17 channels including National Geographic, Sky News and Disney Channel, as well as individual programmes on demand. While some programmes are inclusive of the subscription, others cost between 98p and £3.43 to download. Sky Player will soon be available on the Xbox 360.
BT Vision Replay
BT Vision is a digital television service from BT. It offers the same live channels you would find on Freeview, a selection of shows from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five from the last seven days, and a wide range of on-demand content from a range of channels, including Disney Channel UK and ESPN. There are two ways of paying for BT Vision. The first is to pay a monthly subscription of between £7.34 and £19.57 a month, which gives them access to a vast catalogue of on-demand content. This subscription includes between two and four 'Vision packs' of films, sports, music and children's programmes which can be accessed at any time of the day or night. The second is buying a BT Vision set-top box for £90 and downloading all additional content on a pay-per-view basis. Single episodes start at 47p, while films cost £1.94 to rent. BT Vision requires a BT Total Broadband connection with a speed of at least 2Mbps and a BT Home Hub (available free with BT Total Broadband).
ITV Player - Virgin Media, BT Vision
The ITV Player is a free catch-up service that streams programmes from the various ITV channels straight to your computer through the ITV website. All shows from ITV studios and the majority of independently produced shows feature on the service. However, sports programmes, movies, imported shows and some other programmes are not included on the service because of copyright issues, most notably The Bill. Programmes are available for 30 days after transmission. As well as being available online, ITV Player can also be accessed via BT Vision Replay and Virgin Media's on-demand service, available up to seven days after broadcast. Virgin Media customers will also be able to choose from 500 hours of ITV comedies, documentaries and dramas, available to watch at any time on demand.
4oD - Virgin Media, BT Vision
Channel 4’s catch-up service, 4oD, lets you watch a wide range of programmes from Channel 4, E4 and More4 broadcast up to 30 days after transmission, as well as archived content, including series such as Friends and Film Four movies. Whilst the majority of content is free, archived episodes, films and new US series are charged on a pay-per-view basis. A download-to-own (buy) option is also available on some content, allowing users to purchase a programme and keep it for as long as they like.
Users can stream full-length episodes live through the Channel 4 website, or download them to their computer. Parents can set a PIN to ensure that their children do not have access to unsuitable content. Virgin Media, Tiscali TV and BT Vision customers can also receive 4oD on their television sets through a set-top-box.
Virgin Media On Demand
With 3 million subscribers, Virgin Media is the largest provider of on-demand content in the UK. Virgin Media's Catch Up TV service gives users access to a wide variety of shows from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Virgin 1 up to 7 days after transmission. A separate subscription package called TV Choice On Demand enables customers to select whole series from Channel 4, BBC, ITV, HBO, Warner Bros, MTV, Virgin 1, Living and Bravo. Catch Up TV is free to all Virgin Media customers, whereas TV Choice On Demand costs £7 for customers on Virgin's M and L digital TV packages, and is free to those on the XL package. As well as on-demand television programmes, Virgin Media customers can watch up to 28 films a month with the £5 a month Picture Box add-on package, or rent Western and Bollywood movies individually. Programmes are transmitted directly through the customer's TV set.
Demand Five - Virgin Media, BT Vision
Demand Five offers free and paid-for content to watch online or download to your computer from the digital channels Five, Fiver and Five USA, including home-grown favourites such as The Gadget Show and hit imports including Neighbours and CSI: Miami. Free downloads are available for 30 days, whilst rentals must be downloaded within two days of payment, after which you have 14 days to watch them. Episodes typically cost 99p, or £1.99 in HD. Some shows are also available to buy, meaning you can keep them for as long as you like after you download them. Demand Five is also available on BT Vision.
