YouView branding explained by new CEO

YouView - massive change for UK TV
YouView - massive change for UK TV

Richard Halton has spoken of his 'great excitement' about Project Canvas' rebranding as YouView, telling TechRadar he was delighted to get on with the task of telling the public about the service.

Project Canvas has finally been given its real name after months of planning, and the YouView brand evokes both online video giant YouTube and the great British success story that is the Freeview platform.

"It is really exciting," said Halton, who was confirmed as CEO of the new company. "It feels great to have one of those days that's a little bit about the channels and also about getting the consumer brand away.

Fantastic story

"It is a fantastic story for the consumer and we wanted to get the YouView brand out there.

"Telling the audience about connected TV could risk being a bit mystifying, but with the name YouView you create a crumbtrail back to Freeview which is quite reassuring.

"It means that you are letting the content of the platform sing out, rather than an unfamiliar brand."

Content is king

Halton believes that content is going to be the biggest thing about YouView, allowing people to go backwards in time in the familiar EPG TV listings or search for hubs of their favourite programmes.

"I think people now understand what it take to make this platform a success," he said.

"You need a simple brand and a really clear consumer proposition that offers an easy environment to find content.

"Content providers want something that is very easy to put content on once and it be available for all devices and we want to deliver those things."

Patrick Goss

Patrick Goss is the ex-Editor in Chief of TechRadar. Patrick was a passionate and experienced journalist, and he has been lucky enough to work on some of the finest online properties on the planet, building audiences everywhere and establishing himself at the forefront of digital content.  After a long stint as the boss at TechRadar, Patrick has now moved on to a role with Apple, where he is the Managing Editor for the App Store in the UK.