Japanese private broadcaster Nippon Television (NTV) and telecom NTT are planning a joint venture to provide copyright management and security services to companies broadcasting content, including films and TV programmes, over the internet.

The partners intend to recruit a wide range of companies, including TV networks and internet service providers, as partners in the venture which is scheduled to launch in spring 2001.

The joint venture plans to establish a new market, called B-BAT (Broadband Mart), for the secure buying and selling of video content. It will also develop a revenue sharing system for content distributors.

To lay the groundwork for B-BAT, the partners will launch the Broadband Business Forum, an industry body charged with studying the media business in the broadband era, by the end of the month. Public broadcaster NHK and Japan's other commercial networks have indicated an interest in joining the venture.