Mike Fries, President and CEO of Liberty Global, has revealed that the cable MSOs ‘Horizon’ gateway set-top box is set to be launched in the German market in the first quarter of 2013.

Describing the product as a “game-changer for our industry” Fries told ANGA Cable TV Summit delegates that the German launch would follow the Q3 launch in the Netherlands and Q1 in Switzerland.

Suggesting that Horizon would rectify areas where the cable industry was not currently doing things well, such as making content available on different devices, or including web apps and content on the TV, or offering a great user experience, Fries said that the product, was “not quite Apple, but it’s pretty darned good!”

He said that content providers had nothing to be afraid of as Smart TV sets became more commonplace. “Customers will continue to pay for good content,” he suggested, advising that they also wanted access to that content on multiple devices and preferred it curated, rather than have to navigate a myriad of different online content providers. He also noted that half of LG’s digital cable customers possessed a DVR, “and they use it!”

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