UKTV is aiming to launch so-called ‘pull-on-demand’ services on Virgin Media and BSkyB’s pay-TV platforms by the end of the year and is in talks with Project Canvas, according to commercial chief Julia Jordan.

Earlier this month, UKTV signed a 10-year, billion-pound ad deal for Channel 4 to handle all its ad sales, including VOD and the UKTV websites, as well as the 10 linear channels, from January 2011.

Sky currently offers some content from UKTV channels, such as Dave and Watch, as part of its push VOD services, to Sky PVRs.

Jordan said: “We’re talking to Sky and Virgin and working to launch pull-video on demand later this year. We’re talking about UKTV’s commissioned content initially, which, in itself, would make a considerable offering.”

A sizable proportion of the programming on UKTV channels is archive BBC content, but Jordan said she would not want to comment on whether BBC content would also be available.

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