iiNet, FetchTV to deliver free TV channels to households within a month

INTERNET service provider iiNet promises to "change the face of Australian TV forever".

INTERNET service provider iiNet will soon deliver customers free and subscription television channels via broadband connection within a month.

A deal with FetchTV means iiNet customers will be able to have their internet connection, telephone service and television from a single provider, the Perth-based iiNet said today.

iiNet chief executive Michael Malone said the partnership would "change the face of Australian television forever".

"It's amazingly practical, but simply put, people will love it because it's really cool," Mr Malone said.

Mr Malone said digital television delivered over broadband had proved "extremely popular" in France, the UK and Hong Kong.

Trials were expected to take place over the next month, iiNet said.

The free-to-air digital channels and subscription channels will not count towards a iiNet customer's monthly download allowance, the company said.

The FetchTV service would also offer video on demand content such as films, television shows, documentaries and children's programs, as well as pay-per-view new release movies.

There will also be 3D capability, games and web access via the set-top-box.

The two companies have been working on the concept since at least November last year, according to reports.

FetchTV chief executive Scott Lorson said iiNet had been "heavily involved" in the development of the service.

"FetchTV has been developed to satisfy the entertainment needs of the 70 per cent of Australians who have elected not to take up the existing and expensive subscription TV alternatives," Mr Lorson said.