Vizimo Acquires TIOTI

Vizimo, a UK-based developer of "next-generation" guidance technologies, has acquired the broadband video/TV social networking site, TIOTI (an acronym for "Tape It Off The Internet"). The company says it plans to use TIOTI as a "show window" in which to test and showcase new functionality and tools that tie together TV, the Web and mobile devices.

Vizimo, which recently emerged from stealth mode, claims to have developed intelligent, interactive guidance technology that enables viewers to find, discover, manage and watch TV or broadband video programs they are interested in. The company bills its solutions as making use of such programming sources as broadcast TV, VOD/catch-up TV, broadband video and mobile video services, and as providing viewers with a personalized guide that works coherently across TV, the Web and mobile. According to Vizimo, since its launch in spring, 2007, TIOTI "made significant strides in terms of the social aspects of content discovery and guidance" and is a "great fit" with Vizimo's own approach to content discovery (which, the company says, relies on Vizimo's underlying technology for content analysis): the company claims that TIOTI will be able to use Vizimo technology to enhance its proposition, while Vizimo itself will be able to leverage some of TIOTI's social capabilities to extend its own offering. "A shop window is by far the best way of demonstrating to the whole TV ecosystem--broadcasters, content owners, device manufacturers, mobile operators, publishers and even existing guides--what they could be doing if they elected to incorporate functionality such as recommendation and personalization into their own offering, fronted by their own brand," Vizimo CEO, Simon Steward, said in a prepared statement. "Meanwhile we get to measure customer reaction to functionality, which aids the development and refinement process; TIOTI customers get a really valuable and entertaining service from us; TIOTI will also extend the range of capabilities that Vizimo can offer partners on the B2B side; and the ecosystem gets a view of the whole process. If users can watch anything at any time on any device, how do they decide what to watch? Existing TV guides for broadcast content--such as EPG's on set-top boxes or TV listings in newspapers, magazines and on the Web--are no longer relevant when consumers have access to content from so many sources and on multiple devices. They need 'next-generation' guidance, and that's what Vizimo delivers."

According to Vizimo, a new TIOTI Web site, which incorporates various new Vizimo technologies and services to offer new personalization and recommendation functionality, will replace the current TIOTI Web site within three months.

Since acquiring TIOTI, Vizimo has launched a programming-guidance application, dubbed TIOTI TV+, for the Apple iPhone and ipod touch devices. On start-up, the application displays now-and-next information for all UK channels. Users can customize the line-up of channel information, either by selecting the TV package they subscribe to, or by simply selecting a la carte the channels whose information they wish to see displayed. When they select the entry for a particular program, they can bookmark that program for inclusion in a "personal TV channel" display, called "My TV," which provides a list of the programs they want to watch in the near future, complete with information on which channels those shows air on and at what time. They can also use the application to schedule recordings on their Sky+ PVR, if they subscribe to that service; and to access a feature, called "You may also like...," that links to a selection of programs thematically related to the program whose information they are currently perusing. In addition, Vizimo says, the app allows users to stream content from the BBC's iPlayer catch-up service directly to their handset. "There are so many channels and so many sources that it's virtually impossible to find and remember all the programs that you might want to watch so you can plan your day or evening in front of the TV," Vizimo CEO, Steward, said in a prepared statement. "The situation is made even more complex by catch-up content, which means content from the last seven days is available to us if only we knew where to look. How are we supposed to remember, 20 pages of a listings guide or 20 pages of a Web site later, what we chose some 300 channels ago for 8.30PM? Now, we--iPhone users at least--don't have to."