Kangaroo, the previously reported joint TV-on-demand platform being developed by BBC Worldwide, Channel 4 and ITV has been referred to the Competition Commission by the Office Of Fair Trading, and not just because of the dumb proposal to call the new service SeeSaw.
The OFT says they are concerned any collaboration of this scale between three such influential broadcasters could be anti-competitive. In a statement the Office said: "The concentration of these important and competing libraries of UK TV programming may give market power to the joint venture, enabling it to charge higher prices in syndicating content to wholesale customers, and potentially raise download-to-rent and download-to-own prices paid by VOD consumers, or limit the range of ways in which viewers can watch the parties' content on demand".
The Competition Commission will now investigate the Kangaroo proposals, something which could take up to 24 weeks, which will presumably hinder their plans to launch this Summer.