Pay-as-you-go TV arrives in UK
Here’s an intriguing idea – pay as you go TV over the web.
British firm GreenGrass (wasn’t he in Heartbeat?) has launched a TV site where users pay upfront for credits which then lets them chose from a range of live TV stations and video on demand services.
Just like mobile phone pre-pay services, when the credits run out the screen goes blank. It seems fairly generous though for £5 buys you many hours of viewing.
So far the content on the site isn’t particularly gripping. There’s ITN’s news and weather channels, motor sports station Revs TV and pop channel E-Music, but I am sure it will become more compelling as time goes by.
GreenGrass also claims that its pay as you go business model will pull in channels who so far would consider it too pricey to screen stations online.
GreenGrass co-founder and CEO Alex Taylor said: "Imagine if every digital TV channel required a separate decoder and ran their own subscription service. That’s where Internet broadcasting is going right now, everyone packaging and charging for their content a different way. GreenGrass gives broadcasters a ready to go platform that packages, monetises and markets their programming with a payment system aligned with streaming costs, so unlike subscription services, the more the viewer watches the better."
