The services will be bundled with ntl Telewests’s broadband and mobile services, and clips will be available on-demand to ntl Telewest customers for up to a week after transmission of a football match. Billed as ‘the ultimate catch-up package’, the service will be apparently be available via PC, laptop or internet-enabled device.

However, whether consumers will agree that internet video clips of match highlights are preferable to using a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) to watch high quality recording remains to be seen, especially in a years time at the beginning of the 2007 football season. Nevertheless, it is an interesting addition to ntl Telewest’s bundled content offering.

Commenting on the deal, Malcolm Wall, CEO of ntl Telewest’s Content division said: “Acquiring these rights is good news for the company and its consumers. As the UK’s largest broadband provider and the UK’s only ‘quad play’ operator, they are a perfect fit with our business. For football fans they will form the basis of the ultimate catch-up service and help underpin a genuinely value-added service.”