[all new phil]

Hate to be a naysayer but my gut reading all this is it's too little too late. There was a market need for a 'Freeview over IP' 10 years ago, which arguably TVPlayer briefly filled in.

People missed TVPlayer when it went and you'd still hear moans about it - maybe up to the pandemic, but honestly we're at the point now where people are used to 'starting their journey' from a screen filled with app options, and navigating around to find the content they want; even linear TV ala Pluto and Channelbox. Less and less time is spent on that 'built in' EPG and I don't know that people miss it.

I fundamentally disagree with what you’re saying here. It may be the case that people act as you say - navigating to find the content they want - when they’re actively choosing to watch something, but the majority of viewing, I would guess, is still passive viewing where something is put on just because it’s on. Case in point - I’m on a day off so I’ve just sat through an episode of Homes Under The Hammer. I wouldn’t have ever thought that I specifically want to watch it, but it was on so I left it on. I’m not really in the mood for picking out a programme, sitting and watching it - HUTH was on in the background whilst I do some other things.

TVPlayer never ticked this box, much as Now TV didn’t when I had it. Sometimes I just want to put something on, and having to navigate through multiple apps to find something is a barrier.

From what I’ve read this new service will tick this box nicely, much like I’m finding Sky Stream does for me now. This type of system will be the future of viewing, which I don’t think will ever be 100% on demand.