Cable supplier Telewest is due to launch Active Digital, an interactive digital TV service at the end of March, with a limited on-line holiday-booking facility.
Active Digital will offer the TV Travel Shop channel as well as a shopping service where consumers can buy product direct from major package operators including Airtours, Thomson, Thomas Cook, Cosmos and First Choice. Also on offer will be flights from British Airways and car rental from Hertz.
Telewest-Imminus general manager travel and leisure Keith Webber said: “We are the only platform that will have on-line bookable packages. Some of our suppliers will be bookable interactively from day one but a number of others will refer viewers to their call centres.”
Other interactive digital services do not allow on-line bookings – interactive digital satellite service Open on Sky lets customers browse and check availability for Going Places and Tropical Places holidays but booking is made by phone.
Webber estimates most operators that have signed up to Active Digital will have on-line booking via remote control within six months.
Webber predicted that the easiest products to sell would be short-haul commodity products as consumers are more likely to snap up a known destination.
n See report on page 74