It has normally been presumed that the two major pay-TV operators in the UK, Sky and Virgin Media (VM), were against the development of Project Canvas, the partnership between the terrestrial newscasters and some of ISPs to form an open platform for Internet TV.

Whilst Sky has been rather open in its antagonism, it churns out that VM is somewhat eager to integrate Canvas technology into its set-top-boxes, according to a section given to the Guardian by VM Chief Executive, Neil Berkett.

He reveals that it has already included Freeview and already makes up for a quarter of overall iPlayer watching.

Berkett's pitch is more appeasing than that taken on by Sky, but eventually he shares the same concern: frankness.

He wrote that they stand directly behind the project's intentions as they were initially put forward. They query whether, in reality, it's growing in a manner which equals the combined venture partners' style.

Berkett added that the Canvas association has declined the offer to include Canvas into the Virgin Media consumer experience, persisting that if they desire to utilize their standards, they should also acknowledge that the whole Virgin Media entertainment service will be accessed by their customers by means of a Canvas-imposed interface, together with the Canvas channel list and search facility.