Cablevision Rolls Out Caller ID on TV

Cablevision Systems is expected to announce Thursday the launch of Caller ID on iO TV, which provides incoming call information on a subscriber’s television screen, available at no additional charge to customers of the operator’s triple-play bundle.

The operator said it has deployed caller ID on TV in Long Island, New Jersey and New York City systems, and said it will be available across Cablevision’s entire service area by Friday. Cablevision’s plans to launch the feature were previously reported by Multichannel News.

Cablevision, which had 1.5 million Optimum Voice subscribers as of Sept. 30, estimated that telephone service will be available to the majority of its cable TV customers by the end of the year.

Caller ID on iO TV pops up the same information as caller ID on a telephone -- including a caller’s name, if available -- when a customer is watching live television or recorded programming on a Cablevision-provided digital video recorder.

The on-screen caller ID information is displayed in the upper-left-hand corner of the screen for about 7 seconds, allowing customers to decide if they want to take the call while continuing to watch television. Customers who do not want to receive caller ID messages can disable the function by tuning to iO TV channel 630.