SeeSaw (Internet television)
 |
|
 |
|
|
Type of site
|
Video on demand |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Owner |
Criterion Media Group (75%) Arqiva (25%) |
| Created by | Arqiva |
| Website | http://www.seesaw.com/ |
| Registration | Optional |
| Launched | February 17, 2010 |
| Current status | Defunct |
SeeSaw was an Internet television service, born out of the BBC-led Project Kangaroo and launched in the UK on 17 February 2010. It was acquired by the Criterion Media Group in July 2011 but the agreed investment never materialised. The service was shut down on 28 October 2011. At its peak the site was able to attract 2 million users a month.
SeeSaw used part of the technology that was originally built for Project Kangaroo, the now defunct project owned by BBC Worldwide, Channel 4 and ITV plc. Project Kangaroo was blocked by the Competition Commission in February 2009. In September 2009 Project Kangaroo's technology and assets were bought by Arqiva for approximately £8m. The SeeSaw brand was announced on 3 November 2009.ioko developed the software and the user experience for the site, having already developed the software for Project Kangaroo. SeeSaw went into a closed beta on 26 January 2010 and was trialled by 20,000 people before being launched to the public on 17 February 2010. Streaming was done using Adobe Flash Player at three video quality settings - low, medium and high at speeds of 500 kbit/s, 800 kbit/s and 1,500 kbit/s respectively.
At launch, SeeSaw CEO Pierre-Jean Sebert confirmed that the company was in talks with set-top box manufacturers, TV manufacturers and game console manufacturers with a view to extending its service to additional screens. Former parent company Arqiva is a member of YouView which is building an open, internet-connected television platform for the UK market.
In January 2010, SeeSaw made its first foray away from the computer by making its ad-supported content available through Boxee. Senior Technical Architect, Ben Gidley, acknowledged looking into iOS solutions, although a lack of DRM stalled development. Platforms supporting Adobe Flash were expected to work and Gidley was able to confirm Android compatibility on 15 June 2010.
...
Wikipedia