C4 and Skype duo confer over online TV plans

Channel 4 is in talks with the billionaire entrepreneurs behind Skype and Kazaa to supply content to the pair's internet television venture.

Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström made an estimated $2.5 billion (£1.3 billion) from the sale of Skype, the internet telephony service, to eBay last year. They are expected to unveil their eagerly awaited internet TV service, being developed under the codename Project Venice, next year.

Channel 4 said today that it was in talks with the Project Venice team to supply content via its 4oD service, which is available on some broadband platforms and allows viewers to watch recently aired programs on a pay-per-view basis and access archive material.