BSkyB and ITV have both unveiled video-on-demand services to challenge the BBC and Channel 4 in the UK internet TV market. 

ITV plans to launch an entertainment-based service that will see programmes provided free of charge for 30 days after they are broadcast.

An archived library containing 1,000 hours of other programmes will also be held on the relaunched ITV.com website.

BSkyB is celebrating its two-millionth customer on Sky+ by announcing its upcoming service. 

Initially one million Sky+ users will be able to access television programmes thanks to the spare recording capacity on their boxes.

As part of its push, ITV has hired Annelies van den Belt as managing director of its broadband team.

Van den Belt previously worked on the internet version of The Telegraph and the Times Online. 

ITV has seen its audiences drop in recent years and has been hit by falling advertising revenues in the traditional broadcast market.