TiVo to score big deal with either Google or Yahoo?

It sounds like they're still a long away from finalizing anything, but CNET reports that TiVo is in discussions with both Google and Yahoo about cutting some sort deal that would let people search for video content online and then watch what they've found on their TV (by downloading or streaming to their TiVo, natch). Both companies are also said to be talking to TiVo about either investing in them or buying them.

Makes sense on some level, since both Yahoo and Google are trying hard to get into video (both have at least some form of video search and Google recently started accepting submissions for its online video archive). Working with either would be a huge score for TiVo, who have definitely been on the rebound lately, but they're walking a tightrope. On one hand they're trying hard to convince cable and satellite TV companies to put TiVo's DVR software on set-top boxes, and on the other they're trying to work with companies like Netflix (and apparently now either Yahoo or Google) to create on-demand, online, IPTV services that would effectively constitute an end run around the cable and satellite providers. Seems doubtful that they'll be able to have it both ways, and sooner or later they're going to have to choose what kind of company they want to be.

[william @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

...so the deathwatch is officially over?

[Andy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

The deathwatch will never be over in today's market. You are big for a moment and then nothing but dust in the next.

TiVo is trying to gain marketshare from their relationships with the cable company's and even with the movie/tv companies. From this marketshare, TiVo will be able to be the distributor over the internet of movies and tv shows to home PC's.

I think Microsoft will take over TiVo at some point in the future. They will bundle the TiVo software with their media PC's and Bill will rule the world.

[Tennisman @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

MS does like to buy out competing technologies (i.e. DOS etc)but in thise case, they have their own experience in this area with Ultimate TV. I expect MS has big plans for this area with the upcoming XBox 2 and possibilities of purchasing large HD's as accessories.
As for TiVo, the lights will always point at them being the first to the punch. But ultimately I don't see them surviving the long run without really getting into the cable companies. People don't understand the need of owning one until they use it.
And no matter how evangelical TiVo users are, there is only so much word of mouth can do. They need to get into the set top biz with the cable co's.

[Jeff @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

"I think Microsoft will take over TiVo at some point in the future. They will bundle the TiVo software with their media PC's and Bill will rule the world."

MCE 2005 does everything TiVo does already except for suggestions (something I wish they'd get around to at some point), plus a whole bunch more (like multiple streams to other Windows PC's at whatever transfer rate your home network supports). So they wouldn't be buying them to incorporate any TiVo features - suggestions is not a billion dollar feature.

They *could* buy them just to put them under, though, as they've done with other companies in the past. Would be a shame if that happened, but it's possible. Depends on how serious MS is about this sort of thing; so far I haven't seem them seriously pushing MCE (you never hear about them cutting deals with cable companies, and they're not doing this video search thing even on their own MSN).

That may change with the next Xbox - I'm curious to see what they're gonna do with that. I'm hoping they're not going to sort of abandon MCE in favor of focusing on the Xbox as their new media center - that would really piss off a lot of people (because you can easily add extra tuners and other functionality to a PC, but not to an Xbox). But they may instead do a big MCE push with the Xbox as a built-in extender. Then they might take TiVo competition a bit more seriously.

[Jason @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I think that the best idea and what would be best for Tivo is the end run around cable angle. Everybody is making DVR's and some cable companies offer their own DVR service but the internet doesn't work like cable even though it could and should. Netflix Tivo, maybe. Basically, If Tivo wants to come up with a winning strategy, they need to figure out how to undercut cable. Either selling TV ala carte like iTunes or as a subscription like Napster. I think the cable companies would do everything conceivable to kill a company that tried to cut the cost of cable, but it would be great business and definitely end the deathwatch.

[Peter Rojas @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

The TiVo Deathwatch remains in effect until the company reports a profitable quarter. Big plans don't always equal big money, and sooner or later TiVo does actually have to make money if they want to stay in business.

[Andy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I was not trying to bash Microsoft. If they want to mimic the success of IE with their MCE package, they will need to buy something like TiVo.

TiVo is the leader or will be the leader of connecting the Internet, TV, Photos, Movies, and the computer. They have already taken over many homes with their easy to use interface.

I don't know what is hurting their profitability right now, but getting more and more marketshare with their boxes should help their situation. I know they are talking about special TiVo advertising that should help their bottom line.

The key for them in the beginning is marketshare. The rest will fall in line, if they can survive the beginning and make their box the place to go for PVR.

More than likely, someone like Microsoft will buy them.

[Joey Geraci @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

It would be great if someone like Google bought them because they would have the common sense to do what Tivo should have done several years ago, lower the subscription fees and release the tivo software in a more powerful pc form that would destroy Windows Media Center, (keeping in mind that I plan to buy a windows media center pc in the next couple of months).

[The Jeremy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

TiVo is doing what it can to add value to TiVo branded set-top boxes. The person who wrote the synopsis portrays it as odd that TiVo is enabling features that run counter to the interests of cable companies like Comcast that have signed up to offer the TiVo service. If Comcast doesn't like this feature, they won't enable it on their own machines, just as DirecTV has never officially offered the Home Media (Option) features on their TiVo units. Besides, TiVo is looking for Yahoo and/or Google to pony up the development fees, just as Comcast is paying to port the TiVo software to the Motorola set-top boxes. It amazes me that Sony hasn't officially announced an agreement to fund the development of getting TiVo-2-Go work with the Sony PSP. Its even more amazing since Sony paid TiVo advertising monies to send Sony PSP commercials to TiVo customers, so obviously they do think us "early adopters" are their target audience for the PSP.

[Jeff @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

"what Tivo should have done several years ago, lower the subscription fees and release the tivo software in a more powerful pc form that would destroy Windows Media Center,"

How is making something that sort of barely approaches the pricing and functionality of MCE "destroying" MCE?

MCE has no subscription fees, an MCE PC will run all the software you already have (it's just Windows), it'll let you use multiple tuners (including cheap HD tuners), and it'll let you stream stuff all over the house and play it on any PC with WMP installed (i.e. all Windows machines). It'll play and record DVD's, let you listen to the radio, view and download videos on your PC and view and edit photos.

I don't see how TiVo just upgrading their hardware a little bit and "lowering" their fees is going to compete with MS's model for MCE in the long term. If TiVo simply made their software an application running on top of Windows (which would mean a complete re-write, as it's a Linux app right now), then I don't really see how they'd get any more success than, say, Sage or BeyondTV has right now. It has to be a platform, not an application; otherwise they're still giving Microsoft an in (if you're running an MS OS with TiVo on it, all MS has to do is give something away for free and then market it to get people to use it instead of TiVo).

TiVo has a bigger subscriber base than MCE right now, but MS has a history with stuff like this of watching what everybody else is doing for a while and then just plugging away until they've taken over. Already I find MCE a more impressive piece of software than TiVo is, and I wouldn't have said that even 2 years ago (just please implement ratings and suggestions, MS!). That's half the battle; the other half is just marketing.

btw, I am in no way a Microsoft fan. I hate them, especially given that I was forced to call them to "reactivate" my MCE after a motherboard upgrade over the weekend. I really, truly hate them. But MCE itself is a really nice application, and I'm a lot happier with my MCE machine than I have been with my TiVo lately.

[Doubtful @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

TiVo is also shooting themselves in the foot by alienating Apple users with Tivo2Go. The CFO quashed any hope of that feature on Apples leaving one group of people who would likely NEVER use and MCE machine out to dry.

But all in all I hope they survive. It is a nice experience and (until the new software freezes and kills your system) fairly intuitive and user friendly.