A Sussex firm has beaten competition from around Europe to win an award for internet innovation.

Ardingly-based company i2i Technology won the Innovation In Streaming Media Arena Award at Streaming Media Europe 2002 in London.

The competition was organised by one of the world's leading satellite operators, Eutelsat and Streaming Media Europe.

The firm was recognised for its pioneering streaming web-based TV channel, 3btv. The judges were impressed by the way the site encouraged new programme-making talent.

The channel was the UK's first free-to-air streaming internet TV channel broadcasting 24 hours a day.

Although the channel is intended for broadband users it can be viewed using a dial-up modem connection, so is available to anyone to anyone with a personal computer connected to the internet.

Sara Fallon, of i2i, said:

"We have great plans for 3btv and are looking to stream it on mobile devices such as the next generation of phones and personal organisers."