50% UK coverage for Tiscali TV by the summer

Tiscali has announced that Tiscali TV will be available to 50% of UK homes by summer 2008.

The company has been equipping phone exchanges around the UK for the TV-over-DSL service since spring last year and now claims almost the same level of coverage as Virgin Media.

Tiscali's coverage is spread across the UK though currently remains strongest in London and the Midlands. The company's rapid expansion plan is on track. It is adding about 250 subscribers a day and aims to have 200,000 by the end of the year.

A television campaign for Tiscali TV has just begun, joining the press advertising that started in January.

It has also now launched a new PVR, Tiscali+, which stores 50 hours of video and integrates one DSL "tuner" with two digital terrestrial tuners. It is available to all TV customers for a one-off fee of £50 or £5 per month.

Tiscali's other plans for the future include more browser-based elements on its EPG and rolling out ADSL2.