DirecTV getting ready to drop TiVo?
posted Aug 3rd 2004 9:11AM
Ok, now we think TiVo might be in trouble: is their biggest partner (and the source of the majority of their
customers), DirecTV, getting ready to drop them? Right now DirecTV integrates TiVo's digital video recorder technology
into their satellite television receivers (as DirecTiVo), but it looks like they've been taking some pretty clear steps
to disentangle themselves from the company. First they sold off their share in TiVo. Then their chairman resigned from
TiVo's board of directors. Not exactly the most encouraging signs, but then to make matters worse they've just
announced that they'll be turning to NDS, a sibling subsidiary of News Corp., to supply them with digital video
recorder technology, and will be offering consumers a choice between using this or getting DirecTiVo (guess which one
will end up costing more). Why do we have this funny feeling that DirecTV won't be renewing their contract with TiVo
when it expires in 2007? It might time for TiVo to take advantage of that
free advice we we gave them back in May.
[Via PVRblog]
Tivo had to distance themselves from DirecTV in order to do other deals.
You'll see.
It doesn't sound like TiVo is doing any of the distancing, all of the moves are on DirecTV's part. How exactly is TiVo distancing themselves? And what other deals might they have cooking? As far as I know, every other cable and satellite operator has refused to use their technology. If you know something we don't know, please tell us.
You could see this coming a mile away - it was really just a question of when. TiVO is a commodity - just a part of a set-top box.
DirectTV owns, they call the shots. Long lived Tivo.....
Tanya, I respectfully disagree. If it was up to TiVo they wouldn't have distanced themselves from DirecTV. DirecTV was/is TiVo's biggest supplier of new customers..
They announced it today, DirecTV is dropping Tivo:
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?siteid=yhoo&guid=%7B98FC8F85%2D6C17%2D47AB%2DAD22%2D8581084F3800%7D&