TELEWEST Broadband has today launched a new TV service in Maidstone, allowing viewers to escape the TV schedule and watch what they want when they want.

Teleport provides customers with a vast library of films and TV entertainment 24 hours a day.

It also offers the same control as watching a DVD or video – once a programme or movie is selected, viewers can watch it whenever they want and pause, fast forward and rewind as many times as they like.

The new service will be made available to around 320,000 homes in the region as part of the cable company’s digital TV service. More than 100,000 existing local customers will have instant access to the new service from today.

Teleport is accessed via Telewest Broadband’s existing set top box and remote control, using a simple on-screen menu to select from a choice of viewing menus. These include:

* Teleport Replay - providing a second chance to catch popular programmes from the previous week, such as EastEnders and Spooks.

* Teleport Movies - offering over 290 library and current films from FilmFlex, costing between £2 and £3.50 for a 24-hour rental period

* Teleport TV - top series, kids programmes and documentaries such as Walking with Cavemen, Waking the Dead, Most Haunted and SpongeBob Squarepants from the BBC, National Geographic, Discovery, LIVINGtv, Bravo, Trouble and Challenge

* Teleport Life - offering specialist interest programmes

Eric Tveter, president and chief operating officer at Telewest Broadband, said: “Teleport has arrived in Maidstone and it’s genuinely going to change the way people watch TV. The schedule normally dictates what we watch, but our customers will have the choice and convenience of a service that they can tailor. It's TV on their terms.”