There has been a slow merge of Internet and television functionality into one unit. The Telenet, perhaps? Or Intervision? The BBC looks to take that one step further by joining a consortium of companies intent on bringing Internet services to British television sets. It's a controversial move and nobody is more pissed off about it than cable TV provider, British Sky Broadcasting. After all, they have the most to lose.

I recall reading once that when the Internet became popular, it drove down television viewing. This seems an obvious solution to that problem but it opens its own set. It begs the age-old question: who pays for it all? How will it make money? Of course, if the Beeb didn't already have answers to these questions, it wouldn't have joined the consortium.

It also has the added benefit of no longer requiring a computer or handheld device to access the Internet. What do you think of this new concept?