Orange UK teams with Disney for IPTV launch

Orange UK has entered into its first video-on-demand content partnership for digital TV and PC rights, in preparation for the launch of its digital TV service later this year.

The agreement is with Disney-ABC International Television. Orange subscribers will be able to watch Disney, Touchstone and Miramax movies on demand, on Orange TV.

Orange is planning more content partnerships in the months ahead, in order to offer a wide selection of movies on demand.

Orange will make the service available to its 16.5 million UK customers, which comprise 15.1 million mobile and 1.5 million internet customers. It will also be available to a growing IPTV user base.

According to recent report by Screen Digest, the number of UK IPTV households is expected to increase from 80,000 to 300,000 by the end of the year – a strong market for Orange’s digital TV offering.

BT and Tiscali are also making progress with their own IPTV plans, with the roll-out of BT Vision on schedule and Tiscali IPTV expected to launch in September.