It has revealed that Huawei, Manhattan3, Pace and Vestel will join its existing three device partners Cisco, Humax and Technicolor. All seven will develop set-top boxes for YouView to launch on.

A YouView spokeswoman said although seven have been chosen, there could be more than seven brands of set-top boxes. “Some of these device manufacturers may market more than one box under different consumer brands, ultimately giving consumers more choice,” she said.

YouView, the joint venture between broadcasters the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV, ISPs BT and TalkTalk, and SeeSaw owner Arqiva, has faced a series of setbacks to its launch date, causing media agencies and industry experts to question its relevance in the market (nma 17 February 2011).

It recently appointed Lord Alan Sugar as non-executive chairman, replacing Kip Meek, to help drive the delivery of the set-top boxes (nma.co.uk 7 March 2011). YouView’s spokeswoman said it’s on course to deliver as scheduled, with consumer trials set for later this year.

YouView has also released its final core specifications, meaning all manufacturers can also develop a connected TV device under common standards. All details are available on its website.

YouView CEO Richard Halton said, “Through promoting common technical standards for connected TV, consumers will get the widest possible range of devices supporting high quality content.”