Watching TV on the go is about to get easier than ever with
MSOs looking to dramatically increase the number of Wi-Fi hotspots deployed
across the United States. The CableWiFi Alliance, which is made up of leading
MSOs, including Comcast, Cablevision, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and
Bright House Networks, recently
announced that it now offers access to more than 250,000 Wi-Fi hotspots at
no additional charge to qualified customers. Comcast also just unveiled
its plan to target 8 million Wi-Fi hotspots by the end of 2014 on top of
the 1 million already active Xfinity Wi-Fi hotspots.
The increasing ubiquity of Wi-Fi is a smart move by
operators as they expand their TV Everywhere services – and is an ideal
complement to our HDMI Media Express “set-top box on a stick” solution.
The size and shape of a typical USB thumb drive, our HDMI Media
Express sticks enable subscribers to untether the viewing experience from the
living room TV and enjoy it on any HDMI-enabled device, either via a home
gateway or by accessing cloud-based content. This means that you can take your cable content with you on a business trip to watch on your hotel screen.
Clearly, subscribers want to watch TV anywhere – in both the
home and on the go – and it behooves MSOs to utilize multiple methods to ensure
that their TV Everywhere services are as everywhere as possible. HDMI
sticks and ubiquitous Wi-Fi are definitely two major enablers of TV that can be
enjoyed anywhere, anytime and on any devices. More details about the CableWiFi
Alliance’s recent announcement and Comcast’s
Wi-Fi hotspots news are available at CED
Magazine.
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