Guild backs Project Canvas
The Writers' Guild has issued the following statement regretting the demise of the Project Kangaroo online TV initiative and supporting Project Canvas, a joint venture between the BBC, ITV and BT:
1. The Writers' Guild of Great Britain was disappointed that Project Kangaroo, a collaboration between the UK's major public service broadcasters to provide one online portal for downloading British drama and comedy programmes as part of their public service and commercial offerings to consumers in the UK, was blocked by the Competition Commission.
2. The Writers' Guild feels that the Kangaroo service would have provided an opportunity for TV scriptwriters in the UK to have their work seen again and, as a result, to earn extra income.
3. We are concerned that Project Kangaroo being blocked by the Competition Commission might mean that the American version Hulu, which offers a similar service and is ever increasing in popularity, might dominate the UK market and divert income from British-made drama and comedy programmes away from broadcasters and creators in this country.
4. We believe that this would be disastrous for the British TV industry and would lead to the loss of a potentially large and future-proof source of revenue.
5. Furthermore, we believe that a collaboration between the BBC and other public service broadcasters in the UK would enable the BBC to support and bolster broadcasters whose income is currently falling and prevent them from disappearing. This would be of great benefit to creators in the UK and to the television industry in general. 6. The Writers' Guild believes that Project Canvas, a joint venture between the BBC, ITV and BT, which would offer content for download via a set-top box, should be encouraged for this reason and not allowed to suffer the same fate as Project Kangaroo.
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