Cox Communications has bulked up its IPTV service, already available to iPad users and now launched to iPhone as well, by adding 50 live channels to bring the total channel lineup to 90. In addition to the iPhone and iPad offerings, the service will also be available to Android users in the first half of 2013.
The Cox TV Connect service is available to subscribers who have Cox TV Essential or Advanced TV plus Cox Preferred, Premier or Ultimate Internet service for use within residences using a Wi-Fi connection. First launched in December 2011 with 35 channels, the service has never been available to subscribers on 1 and 3 Mbps entry-level broadband tiers out of concerns that the speeds might not be enough to ensure a quality experience.
Although the service is available only inside the home--and for now doesn't include any local broadcast channels--the MSO is gearing up for future expansion, said Steve Necessary, vice president of video product development and management, in a Multichannel News story.
"The emphasis is: we are building an IP video infrastructure capable of both inside-the-home and outside-the-home distribution," said Necessary, adding the "intent is to make sure the delivery infrastructure is capable of linear and on-demand."
Technologically, Cox is also making advances. It's added more encoders from RGB Networks and has enabled its back office system to figure which channels a subscriber is allowed to receive based on service tiers.
"The first iteration we launched a year ago, the channel lineup was the common denominator," said Necessary, who noted that local broadcast signals could be part of an upcoming trial, if everything works right.
"Those have to be negotiated market-by-market," he said.
For more:
- Multichannel News had this story
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