New ad-funded online video-on-demand service SeeSaw is now live in beta form, with more than 3000 hours of telly content to choose from, coming from the BBC, Channel 4 and Five.

As previously reported, SeeSaw began life as Project Kangaroo, a joint venture between the broadcasters that will contribute content to it, but said JV was deemed anti-competitive by the UK Competition Commission. The technology and concept was subsequently bought last summer by telecoms and broadcasting services company Arqiva.

SeeSaw works a bit like the BBC's popular iPlayer, and will have seven-day catch up programmes from Channel 4 and Five, plus archive shows from the BBC (via the Beeb's commercial division BBC Worldwide) and others direct from independent producers.

Having indie producers on board will mean SeeSaw will include some ITV shows like 'Kingdom', 'Doc Martin' and 'Footballers' Wives', even though ITV isn't itself on board. ITV has been nervous about licensing its content to on-demand services that compete with its own ITV Player, though from what I can see the SeeSaw platform is vastly superior to anything ITV has ever developed, and if I was them I'd look to get involved in the new platform as soon as possible.

Commenting on the service's launch, SeeSaw Platform Controller John Keeling told reporters: "What you see today is the tip of the iceberg. Our thirst for great content will further enhance the appeal of SeeSaw to British audiences in the months ahead, ensuring viewers will come back again and again".

If a success in the online domain, it seems likely SeeSaw will look to take their on-demand service to people's TV sets utilising the much previously reported Project Canvas standard for delivering VOD services via set top boxes. As previously reported, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, TalkTalk and BT are all part of the Project Canvas venture, which would mean that any new TV-based on-demand services from any of those broadcasters would work on the same set-top boxes.

Project Canvas is more or less ready to go, but the BBC's involvement in such a commercially-orientated venture is still subject to approval by the BBC Trust.