French pay-TV group Canal Plus is considering launching triple-play services under its own brand, reports Univers Freebox, citing a BVA survey asking what consumers are willing to pay for new Canal Plus-branded services. The survey covers hypothetical packages with VoIP and internet, ranging from EUR 32.99 to EUR 44.99 per month. One would use the PVR and modem provided by a large ISP, probably sister company SFR. The others are based on Plus Le Cube, the company's own STB. CanalSat told Les Echos that what is being considered is the provision of a new Canal Plus IPTV service bundled with a partner's VoIP and internet services. The main objective is to increase the penetration of Canal Plus and CanalSat subscribers in IPTV homes. Canal Plus has only "several hundred thousand" IPTV customers, although around 70 percent of new CanalSat subscribers use landline IP rather than satellite. Les Echos writes that competition issues will arise if Vivendi's pay-TV subsidiary intends to compete directly with ISPs and reduce the amount it pays ISPs to carry its channels. Canal Plus's counterpart in the UK, Sky, has been offering triple-play service for some time, using a combination of satellite and DSL infrastructure.
