The Guardian are reporting that Microsoft UK are launching its video on demand service for the UK today which will include over 1000 hours of programmes and includes several media partners such as BBC Worldwide. Some of the programmes to be included on the service will be Peep Show, The Young Ones, Shameless and Midsomer Murders, some popular shows there.

The video player has been in testing since the summer, I have used it a few times but unfortunately didn’t find many shows I wanted to watch, which only had 300 hours of shows. During the first 11 days of testing the service it attracted over 17000 views and throughout its testing has found users watching an average of 25 minutes of programmes every month. Ashley Highfield, Microsoft UK’s managing director of consumer and online, said that their numbers are “significantly higher than ITV and Channel 4′s online TV services which suggests we are hitting the mark with our choice of content for the service”.

It is also being reported that Microsoft hope to bring HD shows to the service using Silverlight by the end of the year, which would be great, I think the smooth streaming offered by Silverlight is something the BBC’s iPlayer needs.

The release does come a month after the UK’s first true video on demand service was launched, SeeSaw, however this service plans to add a paid-for version in the coming months where-as Microsoft will keep its service free. SeeSaw does seem to be a more engaging service at first viewing and also has 1000 hours of programmes

I hope to see some great shows on the service soon, especially US shows which I have yet to watch. Take a look at the new video service.