ISPs want to be PSBs?

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ISPs could soon become public service broadcasters alongside the BBC, with Tiscali the first to break cover and reveal ambitions to grab a slice of the proposed £300m (E435m) fund for digital public service programming, reports New Media Age.

Tiscali launched a new broadband TV service, Tiscali.tv, last week, which could become the vehicle for its involvement in the area. It has started with an hour of new programming every day, based around music, film and sport. It's already creating some original programming for this and says it wants to get involved in content that might otherwise struggle to find mass exposure.

Media regulator Ofcom recently proposed to create a 'public service publisher' that would have £300m to commission innovative public service programming which could be distributed over digital channels. Richard Ayres, portal director of Tiscali UK, said that the company was keen to exploit the potential opportunities offered by this. 'Give us six months and we could be in a position to pitch for a part of it,' he said.

The news comes as Luke Johnson, chair of C4, warned any new service as envisioned by Ofcom could be an expensive cultural ghetto with tiny, heavily subsidized audiences.