BT and TalkTalk to release own-brand YouView boxes

YouView may only be available to a handful of people at the moment but this hasn't stopped BT and TalkTalk revealing they are to release their own YouView set-tops to subscribers.

Up until now, it was only Humax that announced that it would be providing hardware for YouView, the IPTV initiative that's poised to meld TV and online content and create one happy ecosystem.

YouView is currently being tested in 350 homes and BT told Recombu Digital: "If you get your broadband from BT, then the box will detect that and you will be offered some special content.

"Later on, there will be two more boxes, one from TalkTalk and one from BT, and they will launch when we are both ready. It's likely that these boxes will be available as subsidised products with BT broadband."

MyView

The move backs the recent changes made to YouView's policy – which allowed exclusive content to be piped to different broadband providers.

In this instance, those who get a BT and TalkTalk set top will also have access to exclusive YouView content that the wider public will not get.

It will also mean the YouView homepage will offer up more content that's tailored to the broadband provider.

Interestingly, with the news of BT snapping up the rights to 38 Premier League games this could be a way to entice users to YouView next year. We have contacted BT to see if this will indeed be the case.

According to Recombu, BT will still carry on with its own BT Vision boxes as well as offering YouView ones.

Via Recombu