U+tv home screen revamped with lifestyle info dashboard

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An AI-generated image shows a customer using LG Uplus's new service, U+tv Today's Lifestyle. [LG Uplus]
An AI-generated image shows a customer using LG Uplus's new service, U+tv Today's Lifestyle. [LG Uplus]

LG Uplus is launching a new service that lets customers check everyday lifestyle information directly from the TV home screen, expanding its internet protocol television offering beyond content viewing into daily life.

The company said Monday it is revamping the U+tv home screen using AI and introducing a new service called U+tv Today's Lifestyle, designed to give customers easy access to information such as weather, news, financial data and local updates.

U+tv Today's Lifestyle functions as a lifestyle information dashboard on the TV screen, displaying real-time channels alongside practical daily information the moment the TV is turned on. Customers can browse the information using only their TV and remote control, with no separate app installation, account registration or login required.

LG Uplus said the redesign reflects a shift in how customers use their televisions beyond watching content. A company survey of 450 IPTV and cable TV users found that 80 percent of respondents had used their TV for purposes other than watching content.

While the existing U+tv home screen focused on helping users browse movies, drama series and entertainment programs, the revamped interface is built around surfacing the information customers need in their daily lives.

The service provides frequently sought lifestyle information on the home screen, covering weather, headline news, financial information, local information and local traffic controls — in that order. Users can also check YouTube recommended content, Wi-Fi details and benefits from U+ Membership's "Yupeul Tubeul" rewards program.

LG Uplus has organized each category to display intuitively on the TV screen. The weather section shows current temperature, hourly and daily forecasts, and location-based data including fine dust levels. The news section offers a list of major articles and their full content, while the finance section displays the Kospi and Kosdaq. The local information section highlights festivals near the user's residence, and the local traffic controls section provides nearby traffic restriction updates.

The service also adds visual features. Through a "Home Gallery" function, customers can link their Google Photos albums to U+tv and view family photos and other images on the TV screen. When the TV is not in use, users can set the standby screen to display famous paintings, contemporary art or a calendar.

U+tv Today's Lifestyle will be rolled out gradually on UHD3 and higher set-top boxes that support the feature. Customers who prefer the previous home screen can switch back through the startup screen settings.

"U+tv Today's Lifestyle is a service designed to reduce the hassle of jumping between multiple apps and screens to find information, letting customers check what they need on the familiar TV," said Jeong Jin-i, head of LG Uplus's Home/Media Product Tribe. "We will continue expanding lifestyle-oriented features so customers can use U+tv more conveniently."


chami@heraldcorp.com