Video-sharing makes move to TV

The Sumo TV channel, available on Sky Channel 146, will show clips from the Sumo TV website.

Every time a clip is broadcast, the originator of the content will receive a percentage of the revenues generated.

Broadcasters, alongside mobile operators and web firms, are keen to play a part in the current obsession with user-generated content.

Social networking sites are creating a huge stir, with high-profile deals to buy two of the most popular video-sharing websites, MySpace and YouTube.

15 minutes of fame

Participants who upload video clips to the Sumo TV website will have a chance for them to be broadcast on national TV.

Which clips are broadcast will be down to how popular they prove online. All content will be closely monitored by Cellcast, the interactive TV company behind the channel.

Viewers of Sumo TV will also be given the chance to participate in live TV shows, via text messaging, webcams, video messaging and 3G streaming.

Andrew Wilson, chief executive of Cellcast, said it would put the viewer in the driving seat.

"It is the first service to integrate user-generated online content into a dedicated television channel, and provides users with new ways of finding that 15 minutes of fame," he said.

According to a recent ICM poll, some 32% of the UK population watches video online. Of those, 43% were watching less "normal" TV, the survey found.

Cellcast expects the amount of user-generated content to increase steadily as the channel matures. At launch, it will feature a three hourly selection of the best user-generated content from around the world every afternoon.

It is hoping to encourage viewers to submit content via talk shows, game shows, talent shows and citizen journalism.

Sumo TV will make its money in a variety of ways, including a share of the call revenue from premium-rate mobile and voice services, and more traditional advertising via the website.

Other UK channels launched by Cellcast include Psychic Interactive and Bid 2 Win.

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