TiVo set for July launch

TiVo will launch in July after a surprise move by Seven Media to scrap a monthly subscription fee for the broadband-enabled service.

Its arrival launch will be the first serious competitor to Foxtel’s iQ2 which will require installation or upgrade fees plus a monthly subscription.

Some observers say Seven’s move could trigger steep discounting from Foxtel.

The Nine and Ten networks confirmed yesterday that they had signed a licensing agreement with Seven’s hybrid TV services unit, responsible for TiVo’s content and interactive services, to include their programming schedules in TiVo’s electronic program guide.

Seven network’s sales director, James Warburton, would not confirm TiVo’s launch date but said that plans were near completion. “It’s in its final stages,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald. “It’s a magnificent product and we’re excited about bringing it to market.”

Although critics of TiVo have argued that the arrival of the free-to-air TV industry’s Free-View multichannel marketing initiative and the possible launch of a FreeView-branded DVR would hinder TiVo’s prospects in the Australian market, TiVo supporters says it will be positioned as a premium product offering a diverse range of broadband-enabled content and interactive services that stand-alone DVRs cannot.

Seven is clearly keen to launch TiVo before the Olympics, something Foxtel is likely to have anticipated.

Source: smh.com.au