Pay-as-you-go TV is the future

The article by Guy Abrahams on the subject of digital TV really hit the nail on the head (MW May 16). We all know that BSkyB has monopolised the digital medium and that ITV Digital was always going to find it hard to compete. Sky could be perceived as the British Airways of digital TV in terms of high standards and quality of product, but is there not a place for an easyJet – a low-cost, basic, hardworking digital TV offering?

The pay-as-you-go idea for mobile phones is ingenious; with such high call-charges, consumers often spend more money than they would if connected to a network. Therefore, as your article rightly pointed out, pay-as-you-go could offer a real alternative, an alternative that consumers can control, an alternative that says: “If I just want the movie channels, then that’s all I want – I don’t want to have to pay for the 1,001 free channels as well.” This is one of BSkyB’s disadvantages – it does not allow consumers to have exactly what they want.

In the US, one simple phone call allows the latest video release to be sent to your home TV. Could digital TV strike a deal with a DVD and video rental company and offer straight-to-TV rental?

Terrestrial digital TV also has the one great advantage that it is much simpler to install, and with so many boxes in UK households, there is no time to waste.

James Scott

Brand manager

ACDOCO

Bolton

Lancashire