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" The ISBA, the trade body representing advertisers, has joined a growing list of parties asking Ofcom to investigate YouView, the IPTV joint venture previously known as Project Canvas. YouView, which officially launched last week, will aim to upgrade the Freeview and Freesat platforms to support video on-demand and internet services when it launches in the first half of 2011. Led by new chief executive Richard Halton, the connected-TV joint venture counts the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, TalkTalk, BT and Arqiva as its members.  However, ISBA director of media and advertising Bob Wootton believes that the project could represent a &amp;quot;quasi-monopoly&amp;quot;. Wootton also claimed that the BBC Trust&amp;#039;s recent consultation on Canvas/YouView was &amp;quot;insufficient&amp;quot; for a platform that would carry advertising. The ISBA has now joined software trade body the Open Source Consortium, local TV groups  United For Local Television  and Six TV, as well as IP Vision and Virgin Media in writing to media regulator Ofcom asking it to investigate the project. Speaking to Marketing, Wootton said: &amp;quot;The BBC Trust is a regulator for a publicly-funded, tax-backed business. Why has that been the sole point of regulation for something that is both hybrid and commercial? &amp;quot;ISBA campaigns for openness and transparency. It was founded on that tenet. Internet-connected TV has new impacts for advertisers and we are not going to be bounced into anything that sets up a protective wall or quasi-monopoly.&amp;quot; Wootton said that he particularly wants Ofcom to examine the potential tension on YouView between content owners and distributors, as well as the rights ownership situation.  Ofcom is now reviewing all the submitted YouView complaints and is expected to report back on the matter next month. The watchdog could refer the case to the Competition Commission if it sees a significant threat to fair market competition. However, the Office Of Fair Trading ruled in May that Project Canvas does not constitute a qualifying merger under current legislation. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tech/terrestrial/news/a278611/isba-asks-ofcom-to-investigate-youview/>