Seesaw's online TV service has launched in full for British internet users after less than a month of beta testing on 20,000 users. The service offers viewers the chance to catch up for free on 3,000 hours of archive and recent programmes from the BBC, Channel 4 and Five.
Seesaw is funded by advertising - viewers see unskippable 60-second ad breaks before and during each show.
Advertisers including Ikea, Diageo and Kraft have already signed up.
Seesaw was born from technology bought by Arqiva from the aborted Project Kangaroo, an internet TV service supported by several UK broadcasters that was blocked by the Competition Commission.
Seesaw's platform controller, John Keeling, told BBC News that the site would roll out a premium service in the next few months, which would involve customers making micropayments to view or "rent" major shows.
The company is still in negotiation with several US studios for their content.
Viewers choosing to rent a programme will have 48 hours to stream it without ads or return to it to watch again, he explained.
The BBC iPlayer offers viewers the chance to download and own programmes for 30 days but Seesaw's user testing indicated that its customers would rather stream video, Mr Keeling said.
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