• Cloud-Based Mosaic for TV Navigation Launched By Liberty Global in Puerto Rico

    Ever wonder what your friends and neighbors are watching on TV right now and whether you're missing something hot? Well, cable operator Liberty Cablevision of Puerto Rico is rolling out an HTML5 app to all of its 350K subscribers there, which will allow them to view a customizable mosaic of the most-watched TV networks at any moment, with 1-click access to tune in themselves.

    The "Social Content Navigator" app is a new guide concept that Liberty has created with ActiveVideo to enhance the value of cable-TV subscriptions and better compete with both satellite and OTT providers.

    According to Waldo Hooker, Liberty Puerto Rico's VP of New Product Development, viewers will simply tune into channel 200 on their set-top box and see the mosaic, which includes 8 networks and can be customized by genre (e.g. news, sports, entertainment, etc.). Networks are sorted by metadata revealing the program that's on right then (e.g. if CBS is broadcasting a football game, it will show up in the "Sports" genre, not "Entertainment").

    The results are updated every 5 minutes and are based on a random, anonymous sample of 10% of Liberty Puerto Rico's subscribers, which is refreshed every night.



    The mosaic is an HTML5 app enabled by ActiveVideo's CloudTV and delivered via a single MPEG stream. As a result, all set-top boxes can access the mosaic, even the oldest and least technically capable.

    Waldo emphasized that cloud delivery means the Social Content Navigator can be updated quickly to incorporate new features and content. It can also run on connected and mobile devices so it can further extend the TV Everywhere experience. It's another great example of how the cloud is helping traditional pay-TV operators keep pace with OTT alternatives.