Highfield quits BBC to launch Kangaroo

The BBC's director of future media and technology is to leave the corporation and move to a new online TV project dubbed Kangaroo.

Ashley Highfield has angered some ISPs for threatening to name and shame providers who slow down internet TV traffic.

Highfield will head the Kangaroo project, an online collaboration between the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV to stream content over the internet. "This is a fantastic opportunity," he said.

The three broadcasters will put around 10,000 hours of programming online, and Kangaroo will be funded by advertising and by users paying to buy or rent programmes.

Highfield leaves the BBC on something of a high note, after the successful launch of the iPlayer and a rise in the number of visitors to BBC.com that has made it the third most popular website in the UK.

Andy Duncan, chief executive at Channel 4, said: "On-demand is already growing at a lightning rate, as can be seen in the figures for 4oD and more recently the BBC's iPlayer. Kangaroo's launch will drive the market from strength to strength."

See also:

ISPs want BBC funds for infrastructure upgrades

iPlayer causing network overload, claim operators  10 Apr 2008

BBC trumpets iPlayer success

More than 17 million programmes viewed to date  20 Feb 2008

Men willing to give up sex for a 50in TV

Size does matter after all  08 Feb 2008

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