LG Uplus said on Oct. 26 it will introduce 'U+tv Today Life', a service that uses AI to provide daily information such as weather, news and finance.

U+tv Today Life is a living-information dashboard that lets users check information needed for everyday life alongside real-time broadcasts when they turn on the TV. It can be used with a TV and remote without installing a separate app, signing up for membership or logging in.

The overhaul reflects a trend of more users using TVs for various purposes. LG Uplus surveyed 450 IPTV and cable TV users, and 80 percent of respondents said they had used a TV for purposes other than watching content.

LG Uplus revamped the existing U+tv home screen, which had focused on searching for content such as films, dramas and entertainment shows, to centre it on daily information. The new home screen provides weather, headline news, financial information, local festivals and traffic control information. Users can also check recommended YouTube content, WiFi information and the U+ membership benefit 'Upltoople'.

The weather menu provides the current temperature, hourly and daily forecasts, and fine dust information. The news menu lets users check major articles and details. The finance menu shows the KOSPI and KOSDAQ indices. The local information menu provides nearby festivals and traffic control information linked to accidents and construction.

It also added supplementary features that use the TV. With the 'Home Gallery' function, users can link a Google Photos album with U+tv to view family photos on the TV screen. When not watching TV, users can set standby screens such as famous paintings, modern art and a calendar.

U+tv Today Life will be provided sequentially on UHD3 or higher set-top boxes that support the feature. Customers who want the existing home screen can change it in the start screen settings.

Jin-i Jeong (정진이), head of the Home and Media Product Tribe at LG Uplus, said the service reduces the inconvenience of searching for information by switching between multiple apps and screens and lets users see needed information at a glance on a familiar TV. She said the company will continue to expand daily life-oriented features.