Today's consumers use the Internet in their own particular way for e-mail, web-surfing and so on, but, the bulls argue, tomorrow's will think of it more as a form of interactive television, with many people watching the same material.

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Inasmuch as Mr Malone has a vision, it is that the combination of broadband cable with digital interactive television is creating an entirely new media industry and that Liberty is perfectly placed to shape it.

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As Yuen sees it, TV Guide Interactive is essential for maneuvering through digital television, with its hundreds of channels, Internet access and video-on-demand.

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This is quite acceptable for broadcasting television programs, but it would wreak havoc in any interactive application.

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In the end, it may be the pull of the advertisers that leads to the rise of the unbundled app model for interactive television.

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