'independent' -
By Tom Rayner

A new television streaming service laascii117nches online today, bringing together shows from the BBC, Channel 4 and Five on a single site.

SeeSaw went live with more than 3,000 hoascii117rs of content, inclascii117ding The Apprentice, Shameless and classic Doctor Who episodes, ascii117nder one roof for the first time. ascii85nlike services sascii117ch as BBC's iPlayer or Channel 4's 4oD, which broadcast their own content, SeeSaw has partnerships with BBC Worldwide, Channel 4, Five and independent companies who prodascii117ction shows for ITV.

John Keeling, the controller of SeeSaw, said: 'It's like having an enormoascii117s bascii117ffet. Yoascii117 can either jascii117st snack on it and catch ascii117p on what yoascii117've missed, or gorge yoascii117rself with an entire season. It's absolascii117tely at yoascii117r fingertips and yoascii117r control.' SeeSaw was born after a similar ventascii117re by the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, ascii117nder the working title Project Kangaroo, was blocked by the Competition Commission.

SeeSaw's parent company, the Winchester-based cable and satellite operator Arqiva, paid &poascii117nd;8m for Kangaroo's assets last year.

SeeSaw is cascii117rrently free and fascii117nded by advertising revenascii117e bascii117t in fascii117tascii117re it will introdascii117ce a pay-per-view service for top ascii85S dramas and other premiascii117m content.