TiVo Will Offer Web Video Service To TV Subscribers By VAUHINI VARA Wall Street Journal
June 7, 2006; Page B3 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114963329219273095.html?mod=hps_us_at_glance_mm TiVo Inc. is launching a service to offer Internet video to television viewers, the latest in a series of moves to differentiate its digital video recorder from rival devices. Starting today, TiVo said subscribers will be able to access video clips from the National Basketball Association, New York Times Co., the female-oriented Web firm iVillage Inc. and others through a new service called TiVoCast, available at no extra charge. Among the content that will be available in the next few weeks: videos showing parenting tips for new mothers and multimedia reporting from New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. "For an awful lot of viewers, video doesn't become real TV until you can watch it on the television," TiVo Chief Executive Tom Rogers said. TiVoCast is the company's latest move in a broader effort to let its customers view material from the Web. The services require one of the company's Series2 digital video recorders, or DVRs, which include a broadband Internet connection. Last month, the Alviso, Calif., company struck a deal with Brightcove Inc., a closely held firm that markets a service that allows companies to distribute video online. Under the deal, Brightcove will give its customers the option of making their content available through TiVo. Mr. Rogers said he hopes the new offerings will help distinguish TiVo from its larger rivals. Cable and satellite companies are promoting their own DVRs, putting pricing pressure on TiVo. Subscribers typically use TiVo to record cable or satellite-TV signals onto a hard disk. DVRs have become popular because they let users view programs when they want, rather than conform to a TV schedule, while allowing viewers to pause live television and skip commercials. ================================================= George Antunes Voice (713) 743-3923 Associate Professor Fax (713) 743-3927 Political Science Internet: antunes at uh dot edu University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-3011 Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
