TV turns to the net
Just a few days separate the start of two of Poland's largest internet-television projects. Last week, Wirtualna Polska (WP), the second-most popular Polish web portal, began broadcasting four thematic channels - News, Entertainment, Business and Erotic via its site. All of them are free of charge and their have own 24-hour schedule, with the exception of the Erotic channel, which is available from 11 pm to 6 am. The programs are prepared by WP's journalists or independent production companies and are broadcast at fixed times, then archived and offered as video on demand.
In contrast to previous similar projects which focus only on entertainment (e.g. Lemon TV) or which offer a few-minute-long clips as supplements to written news, WP concentrated on commentary journalism. "We'd like to popularize various content among our users. Besides entertainment channels, we are counting on commentary programs ... and this is our advantage," said Aleksandra Ciechomska from Wirtualna Polska.
However, Wirtualna Polska quickly gained a competitor, as Telewizja Polska (TVP) starts its project, called Interactive TVP or iTVP, at the beginning of this week. Web users will have the opportunity to watch all TVP programs broadcasted on its traditional television channel divided into three thematic channels: Culture & Entertainment, Sports and Information & Commentary. Like WP, iTVP intends to archive programs and offer video on demand, so viewers will be able to create their own, individual schedule. Watching most of the broadcasts will be free of charge. Fees will be charged only for special services such as previews of certain serial episodes.
Besides these broadcasts, TVP's internet television project will be a place for blogs and videoblogs compiled by celebrities, and in the future also for clips created by web users. "We will build a total television channel on the web," claims Leszek Bogdanowicz, the director of TVP's Center of Interactive Media.
At the moment both companies are working on new thematic channels to offer.
