Yahoo, Softbank sign IPTV deal

Yahoo Japan and Softbank have formed a company to offer IPTV, a Reuters report said.

The report said the joint venture, called TV Bank, would operate a new streaming video service called 'Yahoo!Doga,' which aims to be a portal site for about 100,000 different program including movies, sports and music shows as well as drama series from Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, the report said.

The service will likely ratchet up the pressure on Japanese broadcasters to change their business models to integrate the Internet in the broadband era.

Japan is one of the world's most advanced broadband markets and offers the cheapest Internet access in the world, the report said.