James R | On 27, Nov 2016

YouView has unveiled its revamped interface, which will be rolled out to all of its set top boxes this winter.

The upgraded menus and layout promise a slicker and faster way to browse what’s on TV, but there’s more than just a fresh lick of paint: the new incarnation of YouView harnesses Cloud technology to re-engineer the whole platform from the ground up.

The company is “one of just a handful of TV platforms in the world to do this”. Indeed YouView claims to be the first broadcast platform of significant scale in the UK to embrace the technology fully across the whole platform and device. Over the coming months, the streamlined, image-led interface (rendered in HTML 5) will be rolled out to all 2.5 million homes with YouView, bringing the update to every set top box from YouView, including the boxes provided by TalkTalk and BT, as well the original devices bought directly from shops dating back to 2012.

In addition to a more inclusive front page offering quicker access to Players and Apps and better content discovery, the upgrade will introduce a faster playback experience for live, IP channels and on-demand. A new MiniGuide will also allow viewers to catch up with what was on and see what’s on now, next and in the future. A personal TV library of recordings can be created using MyTV, formally MyView, while existing features, such as trick play, seven-day scroll back, Record and Reminders, will remain.

As part of the upgrade, BT and TalkTalk TV customers will also get a refreshed look and feel in line with their provider brand. Alongside this, YouView will also be rebranding with a new logo, new website and support site to enhance the overall experience for all customers.

Richard Halton, CEO of YouView, says: “This is just the beginning of a whole new chapter for YouView and for our shareholders, content partners, their advertisers and our viewers. Our move to the Cloud gives us the opportunity to make large scale changes, add functionality and enhance features in days or weeks, rather than the months or years it can take for other traditional TV platforms to do the same.”

As well as fast upgrades and rapid enchancements to meet changing user tastes, the move to the Cloud will let YouView better understand how viewers use their set top boxes, offering insight as to how consumers discover and choose content, combined with traditional viewing data.

“Having worked in close collaboration with our shareholders, particularly with BT and TalkTalk, our Next-Gen platform can rapidly adapt to the changing tastes and TV demands of future viewers, all without the need for a new set top box,” says Halton.

“Every YouView box will feel like a whole new product, which will continuously improve,” he adds.

The move follows other recent YouView milestones, including launching Europe’s first Ultra HD set top box and the UK’s first 4k streamed channel, having pioneered the new BBC’s Red Button+ Service and a ground-breaking partnership with Sony TV.

It also paves the way for cross-device innovation, as well as enabling multi-room viewing in the future.

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