Skype Founders Launch TV Killer

wo Scandinavian entrepreneurs behind free online Skype telephone calls on Tuesday launched a new global broadband television service.

The initiative marks the third start up by Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom, who helped revolutionize the market for free telephone calls over the Internet before selling Skype to eBay Inc. for around $2.5 billion in 2005.

Their new TV business Joost -- initially dubbed The Venice Project -- has been funded using part of the money they made from Skype's sale.

The Internet television start-up is still being tested with visitors to the site (www.joost.com) being asked to sign up and test the new service and report problems.