The company that changed television forever with its groundbreaking digital video recorder is itself suddenly shifting with the times.
Of course, that starts with the merger that was announced last month: Xperi Corp., a San Jose-based technology company that, just like TiVo, is split across very different products and intellectual property licensing divisions, is buying TiVo for $3 billion, paying a 21% premium, according to TiVo president and CEO Dave Shull.
TiVo president and CEO Dave Shull
But for TiVo which will keep its brand name, but not its CEO, after the deal closes the changes go much deeper. Before he exits the company, Shull plans to transform TiVo into a leading operative in the so-called streaming wars.
Speaking to investors Jan. 14 at the Needham Growth Conference in New York, Shull, a former senior executive at Dish Network and The Weather Channel, outlined the company's vision. It's vitally important that TiVo get over its history as a DVR company, he said, noting, We're only talking about streaming now.
Shull made these remarks after TiVo introduced the $50 TiVo Stream 4K at CES about a week earlier. Most of the 70 or so news reports about the new OTT device were positive, he said. But the video industry remains confused as to why TiVo is just now getting into the OTT device ecosystem business, given that incumbents like Roku and Amazon Fire TV have entrenched positions.
Sharpening TiVo's Focus
One reason is focus. When Shull arrived at TiVo late last spring, he found a tech company that, at least on the product end, was scattering its attention across metadata, program guides and numerous other video disciplines. But TiVo has a core strength in search and recommendation, he said, an attribute that could help it catch up quickly to the likes of Roku and Amazon.
The average U.S. video consumer subscribes to about seven OTT apps right now, Shull said, a figure he believes will soon inch up to eight or nine. Meanwhile, it's taking consumers, on average, about 11 minutes from the moment they start up their TV to find something to watch. Because of our history with guides, and search and recommendation, we have the ability to put everything under one place, he said.
TiVo Stream 4K
TiVo's CES announcement about the TiVo Stream 4K followed an early debut last year of TiVo+, an ad-supported streaming platform. At CES, TiVo announced 23 additional channels for the service, which is supported by its new OTT player.
Indeed, Tivo's eyes these days seem focused on facilitating the consumer OTT market. Also speaking at CES, TiVo VP of products and services Ted Malone conceded that the previously announced development of apps that would enable users of traditional TiVo DVRs to watch recorded and live video remotely on devices like Roku is in limbo, with company engineers directing their attention to streaming.
If we really believe the streaming market is where it's at, we need to double down on that and not get distracted by a bunch of things that other people want, but aren't really going to move the needle, Malone said.
Added Shull: We're going to bet on the streaming wars. We have a really easy solution to them.
Another Big Pivot
Shull's redirection of TiVo's product engineering and marketing teams comes amid the broader decision to abandon earlier announced plans to split IP licensing and products divisions, and merge with Xperi.
Shull described a steady evolution in one-on-one discussions with Xperi CEO Jon Kirchner, who will lead the combined company. Over several months and many bottles of wine, Shull said he and Kirchner decided their companies had too many synergies to not pursue a corporate marriage.
For one, Xperi is very good at making the embedded technology found inside TVs, Shull said. This skill will come in handy as TiVo looks to embed its streaming ecosystem inside smart TVs the way Roku and Amazon do.
In terms of IP, Shull described patent litigation as a shared know-how, noting that the combining the two strong patent portfolios strengthens both operations.
Third, Shull said Xperi gets TiVo further into new businesses like automotive. TiVo, which supplies music metadata to Pandora and Spotify, among other online music suppliers, has already entered into a deal to deliver a user interface into the onboard touch of an unnamed electronic auto manufacturer's in-vehicle entertainment system.
Shull added that he's comfortable stepping aside when the merger closes. There can be only one captain of the ship, Shull said.
North America Stories
25/04/2024
Sundance Institute Founder Robert Redford during a press conference at the 1996 ...
25/04/2024
alt= class=wp-image-12361 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NAB-booth-2024-960x540-1.jpg/> Set against a vibrant backdrop of innovation and collaboratio...
25/04/2024
alt= class=wp-image-12356 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NAB-mod-win-960x540-1.jpg/>NAB's Eric Trabb (right) awards SNS with two NAB Show Product...
25/04/2024
PHILADELPHIA Comcast beat earnings estimates in its Q1 2024 financial report, as streaming losses continued to decline and Peacock's paid subscribers spiked...
25/04/2024
SEATTLE The Seattle Kraken have inked new multi-year agreements with Tegna and Prime Video that will expand access to their games over broadcast stations and st...
25/04/2024
Cintel Scanner G3 HDR Restores Egypt's Cinema Treasures to Their Former Glo...
25/04/2024
Sinclair Broadcast Group said it named Kevin Coskren chief meteorologist at KTUL, its ABC affiliate in Tulsa, Oklahoma....
25/04/2024
The Business of TV News, a new one-day event featuring Martha Raddatz, Shannon Bream, Glenn Kirschner and other major figures in television news, happens at Hot...
25/04/2024
Conditions put on the proposed sale of WADL Detroit, to Mission Broadcasting have created a potential drama in the Motor City....
25/04/2024
TelevisaUnivision reported a $52 million loss in the first quarter, up from $3 m...
25/04/2024
Comcast reported flat first-quarter earnings as it reduced the red ink at Peacock but continued to lose video and broadband customers....
25/04/2024
Music-video network Vevo said it launched its app on Telly, the company offering consumers free dual-screen TVs in return for data about what they're watchi...
25/04/2024
Future Today said it has introduced a redesigned user interface for about half of its 300 streaming apps, including Fawesome, HappyKids and iFood.TV....
25/04/2024
Broadpeak , a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, announced t...
25/04/2024
Lightware Visual Engineering, a leading manufacturer of connectivity solutions for the professional integrated systems market and a pioneer in signal management...
25/04/2024
Net Insight has entered into a collaboration with DMC Production that positions Net Insight at the forefront of sports broadcasting in the Nordics. Net Insight ...
25/04/2024
GlobalM has announced a strategic partnership with scoopa, the specialists in broadcast-quality content distribution, offering a complementary service for live ...
25/04/2024
PlayBox Neo announces the completion of a new multichannel playout system for the DDish direct-to-home satellite television network in Mongolia. Based in the na...
25/04/2024
Canadian music producer and engineer Garth Richardson also known as Gggarth due to his stutter - has embraced immersive audio by installing a PMC monitoring s...
25/04/2024
Leading video software provider Synamedia today announced that Televisa, the Mexican telecommunications and broadcasting company, has chosen Synamedia as its pa...
25/04/2024
OTTera, a leading provider of end-to-end OTT and FAST channel solutions, proudly announces its strategic partnership with ThinkAnalytics, a global leader in adv...
25/04/2024
The American Tobacco Campus will be hopping with activity tonight and this weekend with two fun events!
Durham Night Market
At last! The Durham Night Market i...
25/04/2024
WEST CHESTER, Pa. Video commerce provider Qurate Retail Group has launched The Big Dish, a new culinary-themed FAST channel on The Roku Channel....
25/04/2024
LOS ANGELES The Hollywood Professional Association has announced that submissions for the 2024 HPA Engineering Excellence Awards are now being accepted. This re...
25/04/2024
NEW YORK The digital media measurement and analytics firm DoubleVerify has announced that it has received Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for Video Vie...
25/04/2024
SAN FRANCISCO Fox Corp.'s ad-supported streaming service Tubi has announced a licensing agreement with the sports platform DAZN that will see DAZN Ringside ...
25/04/2024
NEW YORK In the runup to the 2024 IAB NewFronts, the IAB has announced three key appointments to its leadership team....
25/04/2024
Epic Games releases Unreal Engine 5.4 with new Motion Design Mode, Unreal VCam f...
25/04/2024
Content Creation, Production, Distribution Is In a State of Flux
Andy Marken April 24, 2024
0 Comments
My empathy is creeping towards what I would de...
25/04/2024
The Carolina Panthers and Capitol Broadcasting Company (CBC) announced they have...
25/04/2024
Berklee Student Riko Sasaski Named 2024 Yamaha Young Performing Artist The accomplished saxophonist secured a spot among the elite winners of this year's ...
25/04/2024
Stations everywhere take pride in having a main anchor who comes from the market they represent. That applies in St. Louis, too, but it also pertains to general...
25/04/2024
Edward Moody is joining the WBTW Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, anchor crew, and will anchor the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts alongside Trish Williford. He comes f...
25/04/2024
MTV said the 2024 Video Music Awards will return to New York and take place at the new UBS Arena....
25/04/2024
Season three of comedy The Outlaws premieres on Prime Video May 31. Stephen Merchant co-created the show, and stars. There are five episodes....
25/04/2024
The E.W. Scripps Co. is evaluating offers for Bounce, its multicast channel for African-American viewers, according to a report from CNBC....
25/04/2024
Paramount Plus has ordered a second season for Dora, the animated preschool show based on Dora the Explorer. The show, featuring Dora on a rainforest adventure ...
25/04/2024
April 25th, 2024 Press Materials Available Here
TRIBECA FESTIVAL 2024 ANNOUNCES AUDIO STORYTELLING AND GAMES LINEUP
Audio Storytelling Program Features 10th ...
25/04/2024
NFL Draft 2024: Verizon Expands Broadband Capacity To Handle the Spike in Demand Mobile cells will help accommodate first responders, social media, sports betti...
25/04/2024
NFL Draft 2024: NFL Media Teams With The Fantasy Footballers on Hybrid, REMI Pro...
25/04/2024
NFL Draft 2024: ESPN Motors Into Detroit With Trio of Simultaneous Live Presenta...
25/04/2024
Back to All News
Let the Pleasure Begin: Doctor Climax' and Its Steamy Q&A...
25/04/2024
Back to All News
Netflix Joins The Thursday Murder Club
Entertainment
25 April 2024
Global
Link copied to clipboard
Writer, Director: Chris Columbus
Prod...
25/04/2024
Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...
25/04/2024
Support for Battle.net on GeForce NOW expands this GFN Thursday, as titles from the iconic StarCraft and Diablo series come to the cloud.
StarCraft Remastered,...
24/04/2024
ATLANTA Mundo Hispano Digital has launched a new advertising product, MundoNow Connect, that is designed to help advertisers reach Hispanic audiences on connect...
24/04/2024
Epic Games has released a major new version of Unreal Engine, which has become a mainstay in virtual production, that includes new features and improvements to ...
24/04/2024
The National Association of Broadcasters welcomed the industry to its annual extravaganza last month in Las Vegas. The sights and sounds were similar to previou...
24/04/2024
NEW YORK Chptr and Gray Television have announced that they are introducing a new video solution for funeral homes and communities that will allow funeral direc...
The company that changed television forever with its groundbreaking digital video recorder is itself suddenly shifting with the times.
