Stofa embraces Google with Android box plan

Danish cable operator Stofa has teamed up with Google to develop an Android-based set-top box, to be supplied by Korea’s Kaon Media with software from France-based iWedia.

The UHD TV-capable box will provide access to Google apps, games, streamed content and TV services, according to Stofa, which says that the move is the first step in a new long-term strategic rethinking of how to provides TV services.

The Android box will provide Stofa customers with access to content from Google Play. The box comes with built-in Chromecast functionality, enabling users to stream content from tablets and smartphones. It will also serve as a game console, with the ability to download games from Google Play and integration with game controllers and keyboards.

The platform will provide universal search capability across all media on platforms. Stofa CEO Ole Fruekilde cited the example of a search for content related to Star Wars highlighting results with related content both on linear channels and on streaming services.

Stofa said it pans to begin rolling the new box out from the autumn of this year, including access to Google Play and support for UHD TV.

Fruekilde said that Stofa’s aim is to offer a “a single hub” for TV and film entertainment with unified search capability in the form of a ‘personalised television assistant’ to enable users to search for content globally across platforms. He said that the Android box would be “the first big step” towards this goal.