COUCH potatoes may get a new pay-TV operator as early as July, which is when SingTel expects to launch its Internet protocol TV (IPTV) service.

With programmes delivered over its broadband network, viewers will be able to watch programmes on their regular TV sets with a set-top box provided by the service provider, much like they do with StarHub's cable TV service now.

The difference is - instead of connecting to a cable point - viewers will hook up using a phone jack.

Sources say SingTel has been readying its TV programmes for launch in the next two months, following a trial involving 1,000 home users between last November and last month.

These viewers tuned in to Hollywood movies, Chinese comedy shows and free-to-air channels from MediaCorp.

When SingTel launches the service commercially, it will broadcast programmes on travel, music and the arts. There will also be a made-in-Singapore channel on extreme sports and computer gaming.

But without crowd-pullers like the English Premier League and movies available on StarHub, SingTel is expected to bundle its TV service with broadband and voice services to attract users.

SingTel's director for IPTV and content, Mr Low Ka Hoe, told reporters yesterday that it will try to attract users with advanced features like the facility to record programmes, rewind an ongoing TV show and rent a movie with a click of the remote controller.

He said: 'A lot of Singaporeans are very busy and they like it that they can control the TV instead of having the TV control them.'

SingTel declined to reveal how the services would be priced.

Businessman Ng Thye Peng, who was on the SingTel trial, said he liked the interactive features, which allowed him to watch a TV programme at a time convenient to him.

But the 33-year-old noticed that the picture sometimes froze on-screen. The trial period was used to iron out such technical problems.

He said: 'At the end of the day, content is the most important. Let's see what SingTel has.'

siewtha@sph.com.sg

This article first appeared in ST on May 31, 2007