DirecTV, TiVo to Team Up on Digital Satellite Receiver with DVR
Reprinted from a DirecTV press release:
El Segundo and San Jose, CA Feb 21, 2002 DIRECTV, Inc. and TiVo Inc. announced today an expanded strategic relationship which positions TiVo as the primary provider of digital video recording (DVR) technology for DIRECTV’s next generation integrated digital satellite receivers. TiVo and DIRECTV will develop the next generation advanced DIRECTV Receiver, based on TiVo’s recently announced Series2 platform. The new low cost, easy to use product will enable DIRECTV to offer customers a suite of DVR-based services and capabilities. In addition, DIRECTV will continue to market and distribute the current DIRECTV® Receiver with TiVo service, which is available nationwide at leading consumer electronic retailers.
Today’s announcement represents a significant broadening of the relationship between DIRECTV and TiVo, who jointly introduced the first DIRECTV Receiver with DVR technology in October 2000. Under the new agreement, DIRECTV will be able to utilize the new platform and the TiVo technology to develop and launch new services either by itself, with TiVo or in conjunction with third parties. As part of the new arrangement, DIRECTV will assume primary responsibility for customer acquisition and support, as well as packaging and branding of DIRECTV’s DVR services. In addition, DIRECTV has agreed to distribute TiVo services that will enable advanced automatic recording capabilities and the delivery of promotional video to the receiver’s hard-disk drive.
DIRECTV and TiVo will collaborate on the development of the new advanced DIRECTV Receiver utilizing TiVo technology to ensure that the product will be available for the 2002 holiday season. The current DIRECTV® Receiver with TiVo is available nationwide from Philips, Sony and Hughes Network Systems. This integrated product allows consumers to personalize their viewing experience among the more than 225 digital-quality channels available from DIRECTV. With this product, the TiVo Service allows viewers to easily find and schedule their favorite television shows automatically and digitally record or store up to 35 hours of video content* without the use of videotape.
*Actual recording time depends on the type of programming being recorded.