UK pay-per-view service ONrequest has signed a film supply deal with Universal Studios International.

The non-exclusive deal allows ONrequest to screen Universal feature titles some six months ahead of premium pay-TV channels and at the same time as other pay-per-view channels such as Front Row or Sky Box Office. Titles covered by the deal are chiefly expected to be first run pictures such as Shakespeare In Love and Patch Adams but may also span library titles including Notting Hill.

Not a full video-on-demand service, ONrequest was launched in May as part of the line up of channels offered by the world's first digital terrestrial television platform ONdigital.

ONrequest is a joint venture between two consortia: ONdigital, jointly owned by Carlton Communications and Granada, and SDN, which pools United News & Media, NTL and Welsh-language broadcaster S4C.