London - Project Kangaroo, a Web video-on-demand joint venture in the works from U.K. broadcasters the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, has been criticized by the U.K.'s Competition Commission for potentially restricting competition, The Register reported.

London - Project Kangaroo, a TV video-on-demand joint venture proposed between U.K. broadcasters BBC, ITV and Channel 4 that was slated to launch in the fourth quarter, has seen its launch date delayed while the U.K. Competition Commission extends its probe of the service.

The launch of Freesat, the free satellite TV service provided by the BBC and ITV in the UK, proved popular with online consumers during its launch week. UK Internet traffic to www.freesat.co.uk, the service’s online homepage, increased by 627% between the weeks ending May 3rd and May 10th, while UK Internet searches for the term ‘freesat’ increased by 752% over the same period, making it the fastest moving search term in the UK last week.

London - Three U.K. broadcasters -- the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 -- on Tuesday announced plans to launch an online video-on-demand joint venture in 2008, codenamed "Kangaroo." The U.K. service will carry over 10,000 hours of current and archived TV programming, initially made available for streaming and downloading from the Web, both for free, and as rentals and paid downloads.

London - British broadcaster ITV has announced plans for a $40 million redesign of its online service at ITV.com, which will offer both live streaming and on-demand programming, Reuters reported. In addition to archives of series like "Rising Damp" and "Upstairs, Downstairs," the site will feature original interviews with actors, guest columns, and the ability for users to upload their own videos for possible inclusion on ITV newscasts. The news comes as fellow U.K. broadcaster the BBC gave the green light to its similar iPlayer service, set to debut later this year.

New York - Narrowstep, a provider of Internet-based video content delivery services, announced on Tuesday that it has raised $7.1 million through a private placement.