TiVo Embraces Broadband Video
TiVo announced a new service Wednesday that will bring broadband video content to the DVR boxes of approximately 400,000 subscribers. To support the service, the Alviso, Calif. company has signed agreements with the NBA and WNBA, The New York Times, Heavy, iVillage, and CNET.
The content will be located in the Showcases area of TiVo Central, and would be offered free of charge to subscribers. Customers with broadband-connected Series2 DVRs are eligible for the new service. Additionally, TiVo and its partners would be able to insert ads into the content.
"The range and quality of broadband video is exploding on the Web, but it's not TV until it is on the TV," said Tom Rogers, CEO of TiVo. "With the TiVoCast service, we are once again transforming the television experience by bringing the rapidly expanding array of video content on the Internet into the living room."
For example, through the NBA partnership, during the NBA Finals TiVo subscribers would also receive bonus programming that shows some of the greatest finals moments in history.
Offerings from the New York Times include movie reviews and news analysis, female-centric programming from iVillage, tech product reviews from CNET, hip-hop themed programming from H2O, daily videos from Rocketboom, and gay and lesbian themed content from Here!.
As competition in the DVR industry heats up, it has become necessary for companies like TiVo to offer unique services that attract new subscribers. TiVo's subscription fee is $12.95 monthly, whereas consumers can now receive DVR service from cable and satellite providers for as little as $5 per month.
TIVo's content partners praised the new service, saying it would give them a new method to reach their readers and viewers.
"TiVo has been a pioneer in changing the way people consume video content and The Times has been an innovator in changing the way people consume news and information," NYTimes.com senior product manager Nicholas Ascheim said. "This licensing agreement between our companies is a natural pairing."