Tiscali is to extend the coverage of its IPTV service in the UK, the firm has announced.

The Italian telecommunications service is rolling out its service nationwide and aims to reach ten million households by the end of the year.

The broadband provider has set a target of boosting its subscriber base for the Tiscali Tv service to 500,000 from its current level of around 50,000.

The rollout commenced on September 1st and will initially be available in central, north and northwest England. Meanwhile, Scotland and the northeast will receive the service in October.

Mary Turner, chief executive of Tiscali UK, told Reuters: "By Christmas 2007 Tiscali TV will reach almost 10 million homes and we believe we can offer great value digital TV and the best value Triple Play service in the UK for those who don't want to pay for expensive premium TV, but do want more than Freeview."

The basic Tiscali triple play package starts at £19.99 or £24.99 for faster broadband and unlimited phone calls to specified numbers.

Tiscali TV is available for an extra payment of £22 per month, which enables subscribers to watch BskyB's sports channels, including broadcasts of two-thirds of televised Premier League games live.