--Taiwan's EMC also Set to Deploy TiVo Service
DVR vendor/service provider, TiVo, has signed an agreement with Mexican MSO, Cablevision, that will see the latter making available TiVo's DVR's and DVR service to its digital subscribers in Mexico City. The deal, whose financial terms have not been disclosed, will also see TiVo offering, for the first time, a Spanish-language version of its user interface. According to TiVo, the Cablevision version of its service will include standard TiVo service features, such as SeasonPass recordings and WishList searches. "This relationship marks an important milestone for TiVo," TiVo president and CEO, Tom Rogers, said in a prepared statement. "After redefining the way consumers watch television in the United States, we are excited to further grow TiVo's subscriber base through this strategic distribution relationship with a leading hispanic media company: Cablevision, and its parent Televisa, are perfect p*artners for TiVo in Mexico. Cablevision has revolutionized Mexico City's pay television market through aggressive deployment and marketing of unique services like digital cable, broadband internet service, HDTV, and video-on-demand. We think TiVo will be a natural addition to Cablevision's digital television portfolio--helping satisfy demand for the best entertainment experience while further differentiating Cablevision's pay television services." According to TiVo, the service offered by Cablevision will initially use TiVo's standalone DVR hardware platform. Cablevision expects to begin marketing bundles that include TiVo DVR's and TiVo service in the first half of next year.
In other TiVo news:
- Taiwan's DigiTimes reported last week that Taiwanese cable MSO, Eastern Multimedia (EMC), and TiVo's Asian marketing agent, TGC, have signed a deal that will see EMC deploying TiVo DVR and broadband video service in Taiwan. EMC customers will pay around $28 per month for the service, which will also provide subscribers with bandwidth of 2Mbps.
- Judge David Folsom, who presided over the so-called "Time-Warp" patent case between TiVo and US satellite TV provider, EchoStar, has rejected the latter's request for a new trial. Earlier this year, after the jury in the case found that EchoStar had infringed upon a key TiVo patent (note: the patent, US #6,233,389, was granted to the company in May, 2001; it describes methods for recording one program while playing back another, and for watching a show as it is recording, as well as a storage format that supports "trick-play" capabilities, such as pause-live-TV, fast-forward, rewind, instant replays, and slow motion) and awarded TiVo $74 million in damages, Folsom ruled that EchoStar should actually pay $89.6 million. Folsom's latest decision means that EchoStar will now lodge an appeal with the federal appeals court in Washington. The appeals court previously blocked an order by Folsom that EchoStar cease selling and operating DVR's that had been found to infringe on the TiVo patent.
Originally Published: December 5, 2006 in [itvt] Issue 7.08 Part 1
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