Telewest's Teleport TV

We’ve said before that cable company Telewest has been a bit slower rolling out Video on Demand (VOD) services than its rival NTL. But now it seems the Woking-based company is fighting back with the launch of a new on demand service called Teleport (wonder where they got that name from then?) Initially the service will only be available in Cheltenham and Gloucester, but there are plans to roll out the service to more than a million customers by early next year. The move follows the launch of a movies-on-demand service in nearby Bristol.

Telewest viewers can access the Teleport service via their existing set-top box and remote control. Teleport Movies offers a library of 200 current and classic films from FilmFlex for between £2 and £3.50 per night. Other services include Teleport  Replay (a second chance to catch programmes like EastEnders and Casualty) and Teleport Life (specialist interest programmes).

Due to be added soon, Teleport TV will include classic BBC series such as Morse and Waking The Dead, plus music videos on a subscription basis. Telewest Broadband has already secured content from a wide range of providers including Filmflex, the BBC, Flextech, Discovery Networks Europe, National Geographic Channel Europe, Nickelodeon, Jetix (formerly Fox Kids) and Playboy TV. The BBC agreement will initially provide over 180 hours of documentaries, natural history, drama, light entertainment and children’s programmes.