A new app from Cox Communications that offers access to more than 90 linear cable TV channels is on Fire… and a handful of other Android-powered devices.
Following the launch of an application for iOS devices such as iPads and iPhones in 2011, the MSO has developed and introduced a version of the Cox TV Connect app that runs on the second-generation Amazon Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD (7-inch and 8.9-inch), the Google Nexus (7-inch), the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7-inch and 10.1-inch), and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, a device sometimes referred to as a “phablet” because it’s a cross between a smartphone and a tablet. Cox debuted the Android app at the Google Play store late last week.
"Tablets have really changed the game in terms of the way people view television," said Cox executive VP of product management and development Len Barlik, in a statement. "Our customers want more than the traditional living room experience. We continue to evolve our products to meet customers' changing needs, connecting them to the things they care about in ways that are easy to use and reliable."
Cox debuted the free app for iOS devices in December 2011, initially offering to 35 cable channels to devices connected to the customer’s home network. Cox said the app has been downloaded more than 500,000 times so far.
Cox’s latest app, supporting a lineup of 91 channels, including History Channel, Discovery Channel, TNT, HGTV and CNN, now lends supports the two largest ecosystems for tablets and smartphones. Cox has not yet introduced a version that runs on PC browsers.
Cox TV Connect -- available to customers who subscribe to its TV Essential or Advanced TV tier, plus its Preferred, Premier or Ultimate broadband packages -- lets users access TV listings and manage their DVRs inside or outside the home, but does not yet provide access to live TV streams outside the reach of the customer’s home Wi-Fi network.
But Cox, like other operators, is clearly developing a streaming infrastructure and ecosystem that has out-of-home access in mind. Last week, Time Warner Cable launched a refresh of its app for iOS devices that supports out-of-home streaming to a small subset of live TV feeds and to more than 1,100 hours of on-demand content from 26 networks.
