S.Korea firm to put cable TV on Internet

A South Korean cable television company said it launched a service on the Internet on Tuesday allowing viewers to access their favourite shows anywhere.

CJ HelloVision said the "Tving" service offers 53 live channels plus video-on-demand, a service similar to that offered by US cable operator Comcast.

Tving at first will only be accessible on devices such as desktop computers and laptops but the company also plans to introduce a version for mobile devices.

Users will pay 3,500 won (three dollars) a month for full access, much lower than for conventional cable TV services which range from 8,000-31,000 won.

"Tving has better quality and convenience than original Internet protocol television and more mobility than television," CJ HelloVision spokesman Kim Hae-Young told AFP.

Kim said the N-Screen strategy -- offering cable television programmes on numerous platforms such as mobile phones and the Internet -- is gaining importance within the business.

(c) 2010 AFP