--Macrovision Extends Relationship with National Datacast
Macrovision, the company which last year acquired the US's dominant EPG developer, Gemstar-TV Guide, announced Tuesday an agreement with Mexican MSO, Megacable Comunicaciones (claims 1.5 million subscribers in 53 major cities, making it Mexico's largest MSO), that will see the latter using its Passport Echo cable EPG and its TV listings data in its Motorola systems. According to Macrovision, the deal will also give Megacable subscribers access to 1) its ShowRunner VOD application, which the company bills as a fully integrated on-demand feature that provides a more intuitive and simpler consumer experience for accessing VOD content, and 2) iSubscribe, an application that allows viewers to use their remotes to instantly order service packages.
Macrovision bills the Passport Echo EPG as offering high-resolution graphics, an intuitive user interface design, and optional rich video controls for searching for shows by title or keywords and scheduling recordings. The EPG also offers an application, dubbed Remote Wizard, that is designed to teach viewers to program their multi-function remote controls to operate other devices in addition to their TV. "After a careful evaluation, we are pleased to have selected Macrovision's Passport IPG solution and its listings data to enhance our services," Megacable CEO, Raymundo Fernandez, said in a prepared statement. "Macrovision's innovative solutions, customer service and commitment to the Mexico market were key factors in making our selection."
In other Macrovision news: The company said Tuesday that it has extended its relationship with National Datacast, a commercial subsidiary of the US Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) that specializes in wireless data broadcasting. The deal allows Macrovision to distribute listings data for its consumer electronics EPG, TV Guide On Screen, over National Datacast's US-wide digital TV data broadcast network. National Datacast has been distributing data for TV Guide On Screen over the analog TV broadcast signals of PBS member stations since the early 1990's. According to Macrovision, National Datacast and the PBS member stations that participate in its network are now in the process of "seamlessly transitioning" the TV Guide On Screen service to those stations' new digital transmission systems, in order to ensure that end-users receive continuous EPG service when broadcast TV switches from analog to digital this June. "TV Guide On Screen is a leading consumer electronics-based IPG and our technology depends upon a reliable delivery network," Corey Ferengul, Macrovision's EVP of product management and marketing, said in a prepared statement (note: for a recent, in-depth interview with Ferengul, see [itvt] Issue 8.39). "National Datacast has served us well for many years, and continuing our relationship in the digital age demonstrates our commitment to provide our customers with the TV Guide On Screen experience, enriched with our data solutions, that they have come to rely on."
