RegenTV is built on the experience gained in running an interactive TV service on the Carpenters Estate in Stratford since November 2002. When the project launched the idea of delivering interactive TV over Internet Protocol (ipTV) was new and in 2003 the 300 homes receiving the Carpenters Connect service represented 0.27% of the global total.

The Carpenters ipTV system grew from a successful bid under the DfES “Wired-Up Communities” programme. Newham Council lead the project, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the enthusiasm of the Carpenters Tenant Management Organisation and tenants on the estate, who provided much of the drive and resource needed to make it a success. Apart from Newham Council and the TMO, other key partners in the initiative were Newham.net and The Media Trust who developed the technology and content respectively.

The Carpenters system was widely regarded as a success in helping support and develop community engagement on the estate. The down side was that the system had been "grown" and was not a product capable of being deployed anywhere else.

Thanks to funding from the ODPM's eInnovation programme it was possible for Newham.net and IBM to work together to create a hardware and software solution which, together with the practical lessons learned in terms of community engagement, system deployment and management, now constitute RegenTV.