cable offers video-on-demand cable firms ntl and telewest have both launched video-on-demand services as the battle between satellite and cable tv heats up.  movies from sony pictures  walt disney  touchstone  miramax  columbia and buena vista will be among those on offer. the service is similar to sky plus  as users can pause  fast forward and rewind content  but they cannot store programmes on their set top box - yet. it could sound the death knell for some tv channels  telewest predicts.  it allows us to demonstrate a clear competitive advantage over sky for the first time in many years   said telewest chief executive eric tveter.   video-on-demand will offer a deeper range of content than currently exists on tv. there will be less compromising around the tv schedule and some of the less popular channels may go by the wayside   said philip snalune  director of products at telewest. telewest customers in bristol and ntl viewers in glasgow will be the first to test the new service  which sees a raft of movies on offer for 24 hour rental. during the year  the service will be extended to all cable regions. films will range in price from £1 or £2 for archived movies to £3.50 for current releases. new releases initially on offer will include 50 first dates  kill bill: volume 2  gothika and the station agent. in addition  ntl is offering children s programmes  adult content  music video and concerts. telewest will launch similar services later in the year. ntl is also offering viewers the chance to catch up with programmes they have missed. its pick of the week service will offer a selection of bbc programmes from the previous seven days such as eastenders  casualty  top gear and antiques roadshow. the bbc is trialling a similar service  offering broadband users the chance to watch programmes already broadcast on their pc. for telewest it is the beginning of a £20m investment in tv-on-demand which will also see the launch of a personal video recorder (pvr). pvr has been a big success for sky because it gives customers control over programmes. satellite customers without pvr cannot pause  rewind or fast forward their programmes.  with both services on offer from telewest  mr tveter is confident the cable firm can dent not just the viewing figures for terrestrial tv but also gain a huge competitive advantage over sky.   we offer the best of both worlds and most households have an interest in having both video-on-demand and pvr   he said. video rental stores may also have to watch their back.  video-on-demand is better than having a video-store in your living room and is more convenient   he said. ntl said it had not ruled out the possibility of offering a pvr but for the moment is concentrating on video-on-demand.  pvr is a recording mechanism whereas what we are offering is truly on demand   said a spokesman for the company. video-on-demand has the added advantage of not requiring a separate set-top box or extra remote controls  he added. adam thomas  an analyst at research firm informa media believes the time is ripe for video-on-demand to flourish.  while sky will remain the dominant force in uk pay tv for some time to come  ntl and telewest seem well placed to successfully ride this second wave of vod enthusiasm and  if marketed correctly  this could help them eat into sky s lead   he said.