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February 14, 2008 – Inuk Networks has now passed 40,000 users for its “Freewire TV” IPTV service, delivered to more than 40 universities in the UK.
The service is delivered over the JANET high-speed network to more than 100,000 student bedrooms, and also offers broadband and VoIP services. The basic Freewire TV service is free to users and broadcasts 25 entertainment channels, including terrestrial channels such as all BBC channels, C4, E4, More 4 and Film 4, and digital stations. Freewire Extra provides 19 additional premium channels, including Setanta Sports, FX, Living and MTV for £9.99 per month. There is also a paid-for Freewire International option giving access to specialist language channels including Zee TV, B4U and Sony Entertainment TV.
“As an IPTV platform we get real-time reporting on every single one of our customers and the data is throwing up some very interesting patterns and habits of student TV viewers,” said Marcus Liassides, CEO of Inuk Networks. “Students across the UK are embracing Freewire as their primary TV viewing platform and are on average watching over three and a half hours of TV per day, with the early-evening soaps proving to be the most popular. Students are also making a lot of use of the built-in ability of the Freewire platform to flip between watching their favourite shows and general web browsing on the computer.”
Inuk Networks is now planning to add additional premium channels and content to its Freewire TV service as it prepares to launch a residential service in coming months through an exclusive partnership with Cable & Wireless. Under the terms of the deal, Cable & Wireless will provide Inuk with access to a nationwide multicast network, enabling delivery of the Freewire TV service to the majority of UK homes, as well bundled telephony and broadband services.
Mr. Liassides added: “In the wake of the UK’s first analogue TV signal switch-off, now couldn’t be a better time for us to underscore our position as the pre-eminent supplier of an IP-based digital television service. From the outset a key driver for us to deploy Freewire TV has been to provide a workable television solution for the estimated 6mn people in the UK who are in danger of being digitally disenfranchised by the ongoing switch-off of the analogue service.”
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