VIENNA—Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, is collaborating with Simplestream, a provider of OTT and broadcast solutions, and technology provider Xperi, to extend playback to TiVo OS smart TVs and devices.

Under the new partnership, Bitmovin and Simplestream have created a fully integrated streaming platform combining Simplestream’s content management and application framework with Bitmovin’s advanced playback technology.

The consolidated platform enables video providers to deliver a consistent, high-quality user experience to viewers with TiVo OS devices, the companies said. Bitmovin’s automated testing system uses AI analysis to process and analyze over a million tests each week to pinpoint root causes of playback issues faster and with greater accuracy to ensure the highest quality viewing experiences. Bitmovin first extended support to include TiVo OS in October 2025.

The companies claimed that the joint solution will help media companies and operators simplify their technology stack to reduce operational complexity and integration risk, while ensuring consistent and reliable playback across devices. It also enables flexible monetization capabilities including support for a range of ad formats such as pre-roll ads and pause ads, as well as standardized accessibility features that support inclusive viewing experiences.

“This collaboration represents an important step forward in simplifying and modernizing OTT delivery for our customers,” said Ashley Reynolds-Horne, Technical Director for Simplestream. “By combining Simplestream’s end-to-end platform capabilities with Bitmovin’s proven playback technology, we’re enabling media companies and operators to deliver reliable, scalable streaming experiences while unlocking new opportunities for monetization and service growth.”

James Varndell, Senior Director of Product Management, Bitmovin, commented: “Video providers want their service to be accessible by as many viewers as possible including those running TiVo OS, which is rapidly gaining traction. By extending support to include TiVo OS and collaborating with Simplestream to simplify launching on TiVo OS, we’re supporting customers to reach more viewers across a wider range of devices.”

Stephane David, Senior Director, Content Partnerships and Business Development EMEA, Xperi, added: “TiVo OS is designed to put great content front and centre. Collaborating with Bitmovin and Simplestream will help more streaming services to launch on TiVo OS with a high‑quality, consistent playback experience, so audiences can find, watch and enjoy more of what they love.”

Developed by Xperi and launched in 2022, TiVo OS is a content‑first operating system designed to make it easier for viewers to find, watch and enjoy great television. The platform powers smart TVs from leading brands, as well as a range of smart TV devices including set‑top boxes.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Despite current economic pressures, consumers are watching more video entertainment than in the previous five years, but in a more fragmented media environment, according to TiVo’s Q4 2025 Video Trends Report.

Consumers are watching more video daily than at any time since the 2021 pandemic era, with households returning to an average of more than 10 video services in Q4 2025, TiVo said. This represents peak media consumption following a brief decline in 2024. For the quarter, viewing surpassed five hours per day and monthly entertainment spending rose to $161, reflecting year-over-year growth after a post-pandemic dip.

Looking at consumed content, local programming accounts for nearly 30% of total viewing time, an increase of approximately five percentage points year over year. Sports also remain a key driver of engagement, with nearly 60% of sports viewers relying on pay TV as their primary source. Live and local content continues to anchor viewing behavior in a notably fragmented environment.

“The findings reinforce that video serves as a historically resilient, high-priority category, even as the entertainment landscape grows increasingly fragmented and competitive,” TiVo said.

As entertainment ecosystems continue to expand, viewing preferences remain relatively stable. About half of respondents prefer that streaming services release an entire season at once, compared to roughly 20% who favor a weekly episode rollout, underscoring continued demand for convenience and flexible viewing experiences.

“Consumers are watching more video than ever before, but they’re enjoying that content across an increasingly fragmented mix of platforms and services,” said Geir Skaaden, chief products and services officer at Xperi. “As the entertainment ecosystem continues to expand, helping viewers easily discover and access the content they want has become more important than ever. For advertisers and platforms alike, delivering simple, seamless viewing experiences will be critical to reaching audiences and keeping them engaged.”

While viewing continues to expand across platforms, content discovery remains a growing challenge. As households manage more services, viewers are navigating a complex content ecosystem, with 40% of consumers checking two to three different apps before deciding what to watch. Discovery is also shifting beyond the platforms themselves, with word of mouth (49%) and social media (40%) most often influencing viewers. This reliance on external inputs, combined with increased fragmentation, is making content discovery less efficient and more frustrating for viewers.

“The number of viewing options available to consumers continues to grow, but what is most notable is how audiences are responding to that expansion,” Alan Wolk, TVREV’s co-founder and lead analyst, said. “Consumers are becoming more selective about where they spend their time and money, and entertainment services remain a priority. Live sports and local programming serve as important anchors, while the broader market is shifting toward simpler, more value-conscious viewing choices. The industry is entering a phase where effective curation and discovery matter just as much as scale.”

Additional report highlights:

• Ad-supported growth: More than half of consumers (54%) now use ad-supported subscription tiers, while AVOD/FAST adoption rose to 70% in Q4 2025, up five percentage points year over year. AVOD and FAST services now account for 13% of total viewing time.
• FAST audiences are watching more: The average FAST user now watches 7.5 channels, up more than two channels year over year. Pluto TV, Tubi, Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video remain the leading FAST destinations.
• Discovery extends beyond apps: Smart TV home screens are becoming increasingly important gateways for content discovery and advertising, with owners spending 57% of their non-viewing time on the home screen.
• Consumers are prioritizing value: More than 35% of consumers routinely reassess subscriptions and viewing choices to balance cost, access and content availability.
• Fragmentation fuels discovery challenges: As the number of services grows, 40% of consumers report checking multiple apps before deciding what to watch.

The latest TiVo Video Trends Report (available here) surveyed 4,493 adults 18 and older living in the U.S. and Canada during the fourth quarter of 2025.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Viewers are increasing their consumption of local TV content according to TiVo's latest report on video trends.

The results of TiVo’s Q2 2025 Video Trends Report show that the importance of local content has increased over the past year, with 61% of respondents noting that it is somewhat or very important compared to 54.8% in Q2 2024. More so, 29.8% of all time spent watching video is spent watching local content, compared to 21% in Q2 2024 and 22.6% in Q2 2023.

The report, released this week, also shows video service bundles continue to gain traction, indicating that consumers value the ability to access content across multiple services. Despite price increases and cost-conscious consumers, video spend is up year-over-year, as is the time spent watching video content. The average number of services consumers use has climbed from nine to 10, further underscoring the trend.

Bundles enable consumers to access various types of content, letting them stay in the same service or family of apps to meet a variety of viewership needs. Of the available services, 87% of respondents use SVOD services, with the top three ad-supported SVOD tiers being Peacock (69.3%), Paramount+ (59.7%), and Prime Video (59.1%). Subscribers select services based on the available content, seeking expansive programming libraries (38.4%), original content (35.2%) and specific show availability (29.8%).

“Today’s content landscape is full of unparalleled choice and variety, as consumers have more options than ever before,” said Xperi’s chief product and services officer Geir Skaaden. “Consumers are looking for simplification by increasingly opting into the bundles and platforms that provide the highest-quality content for their household at the best value. These offerings are delivering the convenience of a single destination for diverse content, now enhanced by personalization and immediate access that provides a seamless viewership experience.”

The report also found:

• Backseat binging: The rear passenger seat is the most popular spot for in-car viewing, with 42.3% of passengers watching from there. Respondents who watch video in-car spend 56.7% watching short-form content and 43.3% watching long-form, remaining consistent with last year’s breakdown.
• Cord cutters remorse: The share of respondents who cut the cord but later decided to resubscribe to a traditional TV service increased about 10% to 31.9% in Q2 2025. When it comes to potential cord cutters’ preferred methods for watching live TV without cable, most still express a preference for a live TV streaming service with the distribution of prospective methods remaining relatively consistent.
• Smart TVs are a smart buy: Smart TV ownership continues to rise (75.2%) and more than half of respondents (55%) considered the TV platform to be at least moderately important, up 5% from Q2 2024.
• When you watch TV matters: The latest report details the first major shift in daytime viewership. Q2 2025 saw that 41.5% of SVOD content is consumed during primetime, with 15.5% of SVOD content consumed during the morning, compared to 48.6% and 11% in Q2 2024.

The latest TiVo Video Trends Report surveyed 4,510 adults 18 and older living in the U.S. and Canada (3,509 from the U.S. and 1,001 from Canada) during the second quarter of 2025.

More information is available on the company’s website.

LOS ANGELES—Cineverse has announced that it is working with Xperi to bring four of its streaming channels to automobiles for the first time as part of the DTS AutoStage Video Service Powered by TiVo, and to TVs, through TiVo OS.

Four of Cineverse's direct-to-consumer video streaming apps will be among the first available in all new BMW models in the U.S. and will be integrated into TiVo OS later this year. As of today, Verse Karaoke is live, with the following services coming soon: Verse Karaoke, Verse Karaoke, Cineverse (general entertainment), RetroCrush (classic anime), Screambox (horror).

This launch marks Cineverse's first release of apps specifically targeting in-car infotainment systems built by Matchpoint, its media supply chain platform which automates complex workflows and streamlines content delivery.

"As a company, we constantly strive to leverage emerging technology as a way to reach new and passionate fans of our entertainment content. We see the emergence of in-vehicle infotainment systems as the next frontier in a rapidly evolving media landscape," said Tony Huidor, Cineverse's chief product officer. "The availability of Cineverse's Matchpoint™ on TiVo OS and DTS AutoStage Video Service Powered by TiVo™ will allow fans of Cineverse, RetroCrush, Screambox and Verse Karaoke to enjoy their favorite entertainment both from the comfort of their homes on TVs with TiVo OS and on the go in their automobiles through DTS AutoStage Video Service Powered by TiVo™."

DTS AutoStage Video Service Powered by TiVo is a global entertainment platform delivering a content-first approach for the connected car, seamlessly integrating premium content across live TV, news, sports, movies and more.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Cost-conscious TV viewers are cutting back spending on streaming services, preferring quality programming over a large number of choices, TiVo said in a report released today.

In its “Q4 2024 Video Trends Report,” Xperi-owned TiVo found consumers have begun to declutter their video libraries. This trend of streamlining video services underscores the critical role high-quality content plays in driving sustained engagement and connection with consumers, TiVo said.

In fourth-quarter 2024, TiVo found that consumers decreased their entertainment spending by nearly $20 year-over-year, with the average number of services used declining from 11.1 to 9.9 in the same period. It marked the first time average monthly entertainment spend dropped below $160 since before 2021—it had peaked in 2022 with an average monthly spend of $189.38.

Among those who canceled a subscription video-on-demand service (SVOD) within the last 6 months, 17% said they did so because they “weren’t using it enough” and 16.9% said it was because the service raised its prices. This decrease, paired with a plateau of hours spent watching video, highlights that consumers are spending the same amount of time consuming content on linear and streaming TV, but on fewer services. This points to a reprioritization of how and what consumers chose to spend their time on, indicating a migration towards value.

Unlike in previous years, when consumers were willing to pay for ad-free SVOD services, TiVo says today’s consumers opt for richer content libraries, regardless of ad presence, as they seek a more simplified and value-driven entertainment experience. With this shift, consumer ad tolerance rose year-over-year from 75.3% to 76.2% and viewers chose more personalization. As the streaming landscape continues to evolve, the platforms that successfully win over consumers will be the ones that deliver both value and relevance.

“We are seeing a shift in consumer priorities as they look for ways to reduce the number of services they use without sacrificing access to quality content,” said Xperi’s chief product and services officer, Geir Skaaden. “As consumers face economic uncertainty, there will be increased pressure on the entertainment industry to deliver quality content and keep users engaged for long periods of time.

“There is a chance we will see a similar spend and entertainment consumption trend from that which we experienced during the pandemic, with consumers searching for cost-saving measures and spending more time at home, increasing the value in which consumers place on entertainment,“ Skaaden continued. “This new balancing act is and will continue to put more pressure on the entertainment ecosystem to deliver value with relevant and timely content.”

While consumers continue to trim down their streaming services, pay TV is seeing a revival. The number of users planning to cut the cord declined 2% year-over-year, indicating that consumers are staying with cable. This renewed interest has been fueled by unrestricted access to popular entertainment—especially sports—freeing consumers from the walled gardens of many streaming platforms.

In fact, sports emerged as a focus for consumers in Q4 2024. Amid an increasingly fragmented viewing landscape, 58.0% of respondents reported being unable to watch specific sporting events due to lack of access through their subscribed services, leading to frustration when games weren’t available (49.0%) and unveiling an opportunity for providers who can bring sports viewing together to win with consumers.

Additional TiVo Video Trend Report highlights:

• In-car viewing is on the up and up: In-car entertainment viewing increased by 6.0% year-over-year as respondents reported using video to pass the time while waiting in the car and to keep children entertained. Of those who watch video in the car, 75.1% reported doing so at least a few times a month.
• Sharing is caring: Password-sharing has been a hot topic for users and service providers alike, the TiVo report found that 34.6% of respondents shared a SVOD password for at least one service.
• All at once vs. one at a time: About half of respondents shared that they preferred when streaming services release an entire season at once, compared to 19.0% who prefer a slower release cadence of an episode a week; the remainder did not have a preference.
• Personalized ads at all costs: With 41.6% of respondents sharing that they prefer personalized ads no matter the platform, advertisers face greater pressure to provide relevant content that drives meaningful engagement through both linear and CTV options—especially as consumers prioritize quality content.

Find more information from the latest Q4 2024 Video Trends Report here.

Since 2012, TiVo has surveyed consumers to uncover key trends relevant to TV providers, digital publishers, advertisers and consumer electronics manufacturers. The latest TiVo Video Trends Report surveyed 4,490 adults 18 and older living in the U.S. and Canada during the fourth quarter of 2024 (3,485 in the U.S. and 1,005 in Canada).

In addition to identifying and analyzing key trends in viewing habits, the TiVo Video Trends Report provides insight to consumer opinions regarding subscription video on demand (SVOD), transactional video on demand (TVOD) and advertising-based video on demand (AVOD) providers, emerging technologies, connected devices, over-the-top (OTT) apps and content discovery features, including personalized recommendations and search.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—TiVo has announced that the latest release of Sharp Smart TVs Powered by TiVo are now available for purchase in the U.S.

At CES 2025, TiVo announced its entrance into the U.S. market with Sharp Home Electronics Company of America, marking a key milestone of the continued expansion of smart TVs Powered by TiVo.

The Sharp 55-inch QLED Smart TV Powered by TiVo is available now to U.S. consumers for purchase, including in-store at P.C. Richard & Son, ABC Warehouse, Electronic Express and more, as well as online, starting at $299.99.

“Consumers want easy access to their content without any hassle. However, many smart TV interfaces create friction that disrupts a seamless user experience,” said Geir Skaaden, chief products and services officer at Xperi, the parent company of TiVo. “We believe that TVs should deliver the right content to viewers at the right time and we are doing just that through TiVo OS. TiVo OS is solving for this friction by helping viewers find, watch and enjoy their favorite shows and movies quickly and with ease.”

Xperi noted that as part of the launch it surveyed 1,001 U.S.-based consumers to assess current feelings and perceptions towards smart TVs, as well as how consumers are using their current TVs.

The research found that image quality, presence of content and personal recommendations were the most common purchase influences overall, with the primary reason for purchasing a particular TV often boiling down to price.

Smart TVs have become a household norm. Yet, consumers predominantly choose smart TVs based on brand (48%) rather than platform even though the operating system platform directly influences how they discover and enjoy video content, the research found.

The research also highlighted ongoing consumer concerns about the difficulty of finding content on many TVs.

Smart TVs Powered by TiVo utilize a simple, easy-to-navigate user interface, providing consumers with a content-first experience that highlights unbiased, personalized content discovery, reducing search time through fewer clicks. TiVo OS is designed to help keep a consumer on their device in addition to allowing OEMs to own and maintain the relationship with the consumer, the company reported.

In addition, to help ensure that consumers have an exceptional experience, TiVo OS has partnered with leading content providers including Disney+, Max, Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube and more. Disney+, Netflix and Prime Video were among the top 5 SVOD services used by the survey respondents.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Xperi’s TiVo subsidiary continues to expand the capabilities and reach of its independent media platform with the debut of the TiVo One cross-screen ad platform.

The TiVo One cross-screen ad platform combines ad inventory across multiple end-points in the home and the car empowering advertisers to efficiently optimize branded campaigns to their desired audiences with advanced forecasting, precise targeting and robust measurement capabilities, TiVo reported. 

Xperi also reported that its independent media platform has seen through increased adoption and growing footprint for TiVo OS, TiVo Broadband and DTS AutoStage Video Service Powered by TiVo over the last year. 

“As a key element of our long-term strategy for the independent media platform, offering a variety of ways to optimally engage with audiences is essential. Whether that be through our smart TV offerings or connected car solutions, partners leveraging our innovative solutions can ensure we’re committed to delivering value and driving sustainable growth,” said Jon Kirchner, CEO of Xperi. “By fostering an ecosystem that prioritizes choice, personalization and seamless integration across platforms, we aim to redefine how audiences engage with content in today’s dynamic environment.”

In the run-up to major sporting events like the Olympics that will be hosted in Europe, Tivo also stressed that it has been working with partners to expand the reach of its media platform. 

TiVo’s first OEM partner, Vestel, has smart TVs Powered by TiVo in retailers across most major European countries, under a dozen different brands. Argos, a major UK retailer, has deployed TiVo OS in their Bush house brand of smart TVs, which are available online and in stores now, and are one of the first smart TVs to incorporate Freely, the new UK streaming service delivering live TV over broadband. And Panasonic is also expected to launch smart TVs Powered by TiVo into retail stores across Europe and the UK this summer.

To help advertisers capitalize on the rapidly growing CTV market, TiVo One is designed to be a cross-screen marketing solution that can help brands optimize their advertising campaigns, analyze customer attribution across different channels and devices, and gain valuable insights into which devices and distribution platforms drive maximum engagement to adapt advertising strategies accordingly.

TiVo One initially plans to offer a ‘Homepage Ad,’ its flagship ad unit, enabling brands to amplify their message with targeted data-driven advertising. This is expected to allow advertisers to reach their targeted audiences through linear and OTT ad promotions, and provide shared ad revenue opportunities for partners, all the while allowing users to find their content through seamless search and discovery for a friction-free viewing experience.

Other key features include: 

• Cross-Platform & Global Reach: TiVo One powers all TiVo platforms, providing advertisers optimal reach and frequency across streaming, IPTV, smart TV and automotive.
• Branded Experience: Enhanced graphic display combined with video and image expansion for maximum impact and engagement, driving directly to content consumers want.
• Precision Targeting: Enhanced content discovery and engagement allows advertisers to target based on viewing audiences’ behaviors and profiles, while delivering on user privacy preferences with a consent-first framework.
• Advanced Measurement: Track, analyze and optimize campaigns in real-time, offering actionable insights to fine-tune your strategy for maximum ROI.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Xperi announced today that its TiVo subsidiary has signed up its first four U.S. telco providers for its new TiVo Broadband, which was launched at the 2024 CES last month and is specifically tailored for operators' broadband-only customers.

Buckeye Broadband, Blue Stream Fiber, Blue Ridge Communications and Bluepeak are among the first to offer TiVo Broadband to their subscribers, the company announced (Buckeye, Blue Stream and Bluepeak already offer TiVo's cloud-based Express TV app). Subscribers seeking a managed streaming environment can use TiVo Broadband on Evolution Digital’s EVO FORCE 1 and FUSE 4K stick.

Xperi says its TiVo Broadband is optimized for its TiVo IPTV Platforms, which allows operators to enhance the streaming video experience for their broadband-only customers across a range of devices. In addition, TiVo Broadband delivers premium subscription video-on-demand (SVOD), TiVo’s Free Ad-Supported Television (FAST) content network TiVo+, and customer-specific linear channels to an operator’s broadband-only customer base.

“Broadband providers have unique opportunities to harness the popularity of streaming to expand into new branded entertainment services,” said Greg Ireland, IDC’s Future Consumer research director. “A robust entertainment experience platform running on a connected device offers broadband providers a way to deliver a rich variety of streaming services to customers.”

“We have continued to build upon our commitment to provide our customers with the best, most cost-effective video consumption service, making the implementation of TiVo Broadband an obvious choice for us,” said Geoff Shook, president and general manager at Buckeye Broadband. “We believe the TiVo Broadband service will provide a meaningful alternative programming source for our customers as we continue to innovate and offer complementary solutions that ease programming issues.”

In addition to the enhanced user interface, easy access to streaming libraries, improved integration with existing broadband systems and faster deployment, TiVo Broadband also includes includes TiVo+, which offers content curated from over 800 free ad-supported channels integrated within the content-centric user interface and electronic program guide.

“Embracing the era of connectivity, we are enhancing the streaming video experience for broadband-only customers in new ways, across a full range of devices,” said Jeffrey Glahn, senior vice president, global sales at TiVo. “TiVo Broadband is an ally for operators seeking to advance their offerings to bring consumers to the content they love faster. The commitment of four operators, since the initial launch in January, shows a strong endorsement of our partners and their confidence in our ability to deliver and support innovation.”

DENVER—Evolution Digital has announced a preferred development partnership with TiVo to provide service providers with a fast path to a premium video offering to their subscribers – fully managed by TiVo.

As part of the agreement, Evolution Digital’s EVO FORCE 1 Set Top-Box and FUSE 4K stick will be the exclusive devices for TiVo’s Managed IPTV Service to North and South America service providers.

The EVO FORCE 1 and FUSE 4K video over broadband devices enable service providers’ managed IPTV service offerings with a premium linear video experience, while expanding the options available to support service providers’ broadband-only base. Customers will have access to a competitively priced device platform to enhance subscribers’ viewing experience in terms of quality and affordability, while benefiting from TiVo’s highly engaging, visually rich interface designed to drive customer satisfaction and reduce churn, the companies explained.  

“We are incredibly proud to expand upon our ongoing partnership with TiVo,” said Marc Cohen, chief revenue officer at Evolution Digital. “Our continued collaboration represents a significant milestone for both companies and a major leap forward in enhancing the streaming video aggregation for service providers’ broadband-only customers. Our combined expertise offers innovative, high-quality video solutions that set new industry standards.”

“As a preferred development partner for Evolution Digital, we endeavor to provide solutions to the broadband market to stay competitive, retain customers, get to market quickly and minimize video costs,” said Jeffrey Glahn, senior vice president of global sales at TiVo. “TiVo brings entertainment together in a way that’s simple to access, joyful to watch and easy to monetize.”

Evolution Digital and TiVo will also be working together to promote the new Boost+™ soundbar, launching to customers soon and showcasing publicly for the first time at the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo® in Denver, CO, October 16-19, 2023.

For more information on Evolution Digital’s certified product offerings, visit https://evolutiondigital.com/android-tv/. 

As streaming providers struggle to adapt to reduced consumer demand for new streaming subscriptions, that slack is being taken up by ad-supported versions of popular streaming services as well as FAST (free ad-supported TV) channels. 

That’s according to a new quarterly viewing report from TiVo released this week, which showed that the average number of streaming services used by consumers decreased from 11.6 at the end of 2022 to 10.9 in by the end of June 2023, followed by a decrease in consumer spending from an average of $189 a month to $170 over the last six months. While consumers are undoubtedly reconsidering their spending habits, this change has shown growth in consumer video consumption; the report saw a jump from 4.4 hours a day in video consumption in Q4 2022 to 4.7 hours per day.

When looking at how respondents spent their time watching video, the report found that ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) and free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) consumption increased considerably from Q4 2022. 

This increase in AVOD/FAST is a reflection of consumer budget constraints and major subscription video on demand (SVOD) companies offering lower-cost services that generate higher ad revenue, TiVo said. This new SVOD/AVOD hybrid structure allows users to consolidate their subscriptions, cut costs and still watch the same or more amount of content. With less disposable income available among consumers, the demand for flexibility in entertainment choices has surged in response to the evolving preferences in entertainment over the recent years, according to the company.

TiVo also offered a caveat, however:s entertainment consumption rises, content discovery continues to be a pain point for many consumers. When trying to select a movie or show, 82% of consumers are prone to browsing before making a final selection—with over 60% using multiple apps in their pursuit.

“Consumers know what they want in a video service and are adjusting their entertainment habits to fit their needs—whether that be cancelling their SVOD subscriptions or reviving their cable,” said Scott Maddux, VP of global content strategy and business at TiVo parent company Xperi. “As we continue to see this shift in consumer behavior it’s essential that entertainment providers focus on solving consumer content discovery issues to help consumers who are juggling their entertainment needs get back to what’s important, enjoying entertainment."

SAN JOSE, Calif.—TiVo has announced a multi-year, multi-million-unit deal with Sharp that will see the TV maker launch smart TVs Powered by TiVo. 

The first TVs using TiVo’s operating system and independent media platform are expected to ship in 2024 starting in Europe.

Sharp is the second major manufacturer to adopt the platform. During IFA 2022, Xperi announced the launch of its independent media platform and selected Vestel as its first original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partner as part of a push to make its technologies widely available in connected TVs and devices.

“We chose TiVo’s OS not only because of the superior product but also because we wanted to offer a user experience of Sharp quality elements with more variety and freedom,” said Nick Chen, head of Europe, vice president of TV-system business unit, Sharp Corporation. “We are excited to give users significantly more control on how to discover and consume content across live TV, news, sports, movies and more.”

“Sharp’s selection of Powered by TiVo is further proof that we are meeting a crucial need for smart TV brands,” said Jon Kirchner, chief executive officer, Xperi, which owns TiVo.. “The accelerated adoption of our independent media platform by consumer electronic brands, as well as by BMW in the car, lays a strong foundation for the future growth and success of our platform ecosystem.”

For more information on TiVo OS, visit https://business.tivo.com/products-solutions/tivo-os.

TiVo will be showcasing its independent media platform at IFA 2023 in Berlin.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Xperi Inc. has announced BMW has selected TiVo’s video media platform to provide customers access to a growing number of video content providers, including linear and on demand streaming services.

BMW’s deployment of the Powered by TiVo platform will include a variety of country-specific content, offering news, movies and access to media libraries, the companies said. 

The TiVo media platform is expected to roll out over-the-air in initial launch countries by the end of 2023 for customers of the all-new BMW 5 series and further models.

“Our independent media platform strategy is well suited for the automotive industry as they make advancements in in-cabin technology and creating new and adaptive experiences. We will work closely with BMW to ensure that the in-car video media platform by TiVo provides a best-in-class in-car entertainment experience,” said Jon Kirchner, CEO of Xperi. “Unlike existing platforms, the Powered by TiVo platform traverses entertainment mediums and gives OEMs significantly more control over the user experience.”

TiVo’s video media platform is aimed at giving original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) significantly more control over the user experience and helping consumers cut through the clutter of streaming and linear content options with simplified, universal discovery to consumers. The BMW implementation will also be part of Xperi’s independent media platform, but will be integrated in automobiles to deliver immersive in-car entertainment experiences, the company reported. 

"In-car entertainment becomes increasingly important for our customers," said Ingo Lasslop, vice president product management for digital products and services at BMW Group. "This collaboration with Xperi will allow us to deliver a world-class entertainment offering to our customers and transforms their time spent in the vehicle even more into a captivating and enjoyable experience."

SAN JOSE, Calif.—A major new study of consumer video trends by TiVo indicates that the video and streaming industries face a number of pain points as total viewing time stagnates and the number of streaming video services being used continues to rise, further fragmenting audiences for advertisers and the sources of content for viewers. 

Overall the average number of services used jumped from 8.9 in Q4 2021 to a record 11.6, the first time they had moved into double-digital levels. Meanwhile, churn rates continued to rise, with 26.6% of respondents dropping a SVOD service over the last 6 months, an increase of over 8.0% year over year, TiVo said. 

As the number of services being used by consumers jumped, viewing slightly dropped from 4.5 hours in Q4 2021 to 4.4 hours in Q4 2022, indicating that streamers will have a harder time standing out from the pack and that cost conscious consumers are frequently dropping subscription services (churning).   

The data showed that people across all age groups increased the services they used, with the number of services growing even among the less tech savvy 77+ year-olds (up 23.3% to 5.1) and baby boomers (up 21.9% to 6.2). 

The most rapid growth was among Gen X (up 47% to 12.2), followed by millennials (up26.3% to 16.3). Interestingly, Gen Z showed the slowest rate of increase in the number of services they used (up 10.8%) to 12.7. 

Upper income groups used the most services with homes earning more than $200,000 using on average 21.1 services. 

Much of the growth was in the free AVOD and FAST channel area, where the average number of services jumped by 69% from 2.4 in Q4 2021 to 3.9 services in Q4 2022. 

But SVOD services also grew, increasing from 6.5 used on average in Q4 2021 to 7.6 in Q4 2022. 

SVOD services also continue by far to dominate the streaming landscape. The number of SVOD services used is still nearly double that of free services and their share of viewing is significantly higher than free services, with SVOD accounting for 30.1% of viewing (down from 31.$% in Q4 2021), compared to 23.5% for the free services (more than double the 10.3% share in Q4 2021). 

The new TiVo data shows that pay TV viewing continued to decline, dropping from 38% in Q4 2021 to 32.1% in Q4 2022. That indicates that some of the growth in the number of streaming services being used can be traced to cord cutting. 

While local broadcasters have been slow to embrace streaming and continue to be hurt by the collapse of the pay TV industry in terms of their retransmission fees, the report highlighted some encouraging trends for them.

Nearly one quarter of all viewing time (23.4%) being spent on local content, TiVo reported. Much of this is still done via the declining pay TV ecosystem (with pay TV services accounting for 49.6% of local content viewing and vMVPDs 18.6%). But 10.4% were viewing local content via an antenna and 6.4% was being done on a free streaming channel as more FAST services launch live linear local services, TiVo reported. 

The report also found some notable shifts in consumer spending. Pay TV bills dropped from $124.40 in Q4 2021 to $119.91 in Q4 2022. Average spending on SVOD services increased to $49.08, from $42.03 in Q4 2021  and streaming sports subscription services increased to $48.28 in Q4 2022, up from $41.89 a year earlier. 

Despite economic worries, overall spending on entertainment rose by nearly $20 to $189.38 in Q4 2022.   

But economic worries about spending do seem to be accelerating the shift to free services, TiVo’s researchers reported. 

According to the report, adoption of totally free video services, including AVOD and FAST, has grown by almost 70.0% year over year – reflecting that these services continue to capture a greater share of the market. 64.0% of consumers now utilize at least one AVOD or FAST service, driven largely by millennial audiences, up from 60.0% year over year. 

The number of choices continues to benefit consumers, but it has led to content discovery becoming even more complex and varied, the report noted. The survey also found that people still mostly rely on commercials and word of mouth to inform them of other TV shows and movies they’d like. 

Content discovery continues to be a pain point for the industry and consumers, though only 8.7% of the respondents said they were unhappy with the recommended content. Another 34.4% said they were indifferent to the recommendations and 55.9% said they were happy with them. 

“We’re at an inflection point in the digital entertainment industry as consumers seek to take advantage of the flood of content choices and service types available but now wrestle with the paradox of choice.”  said Scott Maddux, VP of global content strategy and business at Xperi, which owns TiVo. “Discovery shouldn’t be a chore, and it is imperative that entertainment platforms and video technology providers prioritize simplicity for consumers in order to make discovery and viewing experiences as enjoyable as possible.”

Additional TiVo Video Trend Report highlights include: 

• Bingeworthy content: More than half of respondents (53.0%) prefer when the whole season of a TV show is available at once, compared to only 24.7% who prefer episodes to be released one per week. During Q4 there was a strong difference among men and women in consuming content, with women reporting a strong preference for the opportunity to binge a whole season (61.0%), whereas men report a stronger preference for the weekly release schedule (60.0%).
• Generation gap: When examining the increase of video services, there are some glaring differences among service consumption when it comes to age groups. Millennial respondents  consumed significantly more than any other age group with an average of 16.3 sources compared to Gen Z with 12.7 sources and Gen X with 12.2 sources. 
• Eye on spending: In recent months, respondents appear to be evaluating and adjusting their entertainment spending more often, with around 18.0% saying they currently do so every month or more compared to only 13.0% a year ago. 
• Entertainment at home: While the recent pattern of economic inflation has caused 30.0% of respondents to reduce their overall entertainment spending, almost three-quarters of respondents (74.0%) say they’re slightly or much more likely to look for entertainment at home than going out. To support this at-home entertainment, these respondents are investing in their home set-up with one-third purchasing a new TV in the last six months. 

TiVo TV Viewership Data includes second-by-second level data captured from set-top-boxes within households across all 210 DMAs in the U.S. The data reflects both live or time-shifted viewership information which is the cornerstone of TiVo’s expertise in TV data processing.

The latest TiVo Video Trends Report surveyed 4,493 adults 18 and older living in the U.S. and Canada during the fourth quarter of 2022 (3,500 US, 993 Canada). 

Find more information from the latest Video Trends Report here. 

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Xperi’s TiVo subsidiary and Amlogic, a fabless semiconductor company, have announced they have pre-integrated TiVo OS on Amlogic T962D4 and T950D4 chipsets for the U.S. and European markets.

The companies said that TiVo OS is an independent media platform that gives TV OEMs significantly more control over the user experience, access to critical content service providers, and a profitable partnership model. 

TV OEMs who choose an Amlogic 4K or 2K smart TV chipset with TiVo OS pre-integrated benefit from the combined scale and support of critical technology providers, hardware suppliers and advertisers, the companies said. 

"Smart TVs Powered by TiVo are at the forefront of innovation, providing new ways for consumers to enjoy TV with easy setup, an award-winning personalized experience and natural voice navigation," said Benjamin Maughan, general manager of smart TV media platform at Xperi. "By working with the team at Amlogic and other mutual smart TV ecosystem partners, we can offer a turnkey, cost-effective and market-ready TV OS and progress towards our goal of becoming a leading independent TV OS platform supplier."

James Xie, senior vice president of corporate business strategy at Amlogic added that “Working with Xperi to integrate TiVo OS on Amlogic 4K and 2K chipsets will make it easier and faster for TV OEMs to deliver a great multimedia experience to U.S. and European consumers. We believe that the industry will benefit from a partner-oriented, independent media platform that provides the necessary scale, both in technology and content, to satisfy the global media landscape."

LAS VEGAS—Amino announced a long-term deal with Xperi to supply Android TV certified set top boxes to operator customers of Xperi's TiVo Managed IPTV Service (formerly MobiTV). 

As part of the agreement, Amino has integrated its certified Android TV operator tier set-top box with the TiVo service to offer a managed device alternative and support for North American customers.

TiVo Managed IPTV Service enables broadband and cable providers to cost-efficiently deliver a next-gen video service while offering competitive features and the opportunity to roll out new video strategies, the companies said. 

Operators can build their service based on the Amino Amigo 7X Android TV set-top, which gives them a sleek, compact device that provides access to linear channels and streaming apps, the companies reported. 

The integrated solution is backed by Amino’s SaaS platform for centralized device management, Amino Engage, combined with its highly regarded customer support and maintenance services.

“The TiVo Managed IPTV Service continues to be a popular option for tier II and III operators because of its fully featured, end-to-end capabilities. So it makes sense that we’d integrate our managed Amigo 7X set-top to provide operators best-of-breed options when launching new video services,” said Donald McGarva, CEO of the Amino Group. “Amino has been a trusted brand in the region for nearly 25 years, so we are excited to broaden our footprint in North America.”

The TiVo-Amigo 7x integrated solution is available to all existing customers and to operators looking to meet current consumer demands through a cost-effective video platform. Amino’s managed device and support offers a sustainable upgrade path to support the latest service features to help operators maintain a competitive edge.

Amino is demonstrating its Amigo 7X set-top features at CES 2023.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Xperi’s TiVo subsidiary and European TV manufacturer Vestel have announced a multi-year, multi-country and multi-million-unit agreement to create the first "Powered by TiVo" smart TVs. 

The new TV are expected to ship as early as spring 2023 featuring chipsets from MediaTek, a global fabless semiconductor company. The TVs will be sold to consumers in the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Turkey under such brands as Vestel, Daewoo, Regal, Hitachi, Telefunken and JVC.

During IFA 2022, Xperi announced the launch of its independent media platform and selected Vestel as its first original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partner. 

Vestel will be utilizing the new TiVo OS that provides OEMs significantly more control over the user experience to drive brand awareness, engagement and monetization at scale. 

"At Xperi, we have built a platform that can deliver better viewer engagement with an unbiased, content-first user experience, where Live Hybrid TV and streaming services fully integrate in a personalized way that makes it easy to find, watch and enjoy content across siloed ecosystems," said Jon Kirchner, chief executive officer, Xperi. "Unlike existing platforms, which are largely built around walled gardens, we enable TV OEMs to brand the experience, retain customer ownership and participate in the long-term CTV monetization throughout the lifecycle of TV ownership. We are pleased to partner with Vestel to bring smart TVs to market that enable consumers to cut through the clutter of streaming and linear content options with a simplified, universal discovery."

"As the number of available video services continues to increase, content discovery remains a top pain point for consumers when searching across different video content services," said Turan Erdoğan, chief executive officer, Vestel. "We're excited to partner with a company that shares our customer first values and to introduce our new line of Powered by TiVo smart TVs to provide consumers the experience they want."

TiVo OS will incorporate TiVo+, a free content network that provides consumers access to more than 160+ free channels and 100,000 hours' worth of content. 

The company also announced that it will add Stingray to the content lineup now available on a global basis for TiVo OS and beyond - adding 26 channels from Stingray to the TiVo+ content network.

"Stingray is very pleased to be a launch partner with TiVo and Vestel as part of this dynamic platform. The breakthrough TiVo user experience makes our premium music and lifestyle content more accessible to our viewers. Discovery has never been simpler, and recommendations put the right content in front of the right audience," said David Purdy, chief revenue officer of Stingray. "In a world of increased streaming services, TiVo delivers content in a personal way to consumers so the experience is about what they like and what they will discover next." 

SAN JOSE, Calif.—New research released by TiVo finds that the average number of video services used by consumers is approaching double-digits for the first time in history, with consumers now watching an average of 9.86 video services compared to 8.8 a year ago. 

The new TiVo Video Trends Report also found that ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) services or free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) services are being much more widely used as consumers look to stretch their entertainment budgets. 

The report found that AVOD services account for 32% of the overall share of video services used by consumers in 2022, compared to 26% in Q4 2021; and the average consumer is now using three ad-based video on demand services.

While consumers’ willingness to pay for ad-free programming has been an advantage to subscription streaming services in recent years, that trend is now giving way to increased adoption of ad-supported video fueled by a proliferation of free content services or introduction of subscription tiers, the report explained. 

At the same time, a rich-content first experience remains a priority when it comes to discretionary spending. About 7 in 10 of respondents said their video entertainment spending is a moderate to high priority. 

Despite inflation and financial pressures, only 25% of respondents reported reducing their entertainment spending. Three in 10 consumers surveyed said they had purchased a smart TV between Q4 2021 and Q2 2022.

“Entertainment, and specifically video content, is very much a priority for consumers, but if they can get it at a lower-cost, or free, consumers are demonstrating a growing tolerance for more ads as part of the content they consume,” said Walt Horstman, senior vice president, Monetization, TiVo, a part of Xperi, Inc.

Addition finding from the TiVo Video Trend Report include: 

• Hopping around: 8 in 10 consumers said they wish their paid service offered an ad-supported free option, but a quarter (24.3%) of AVOD users admitted to only spending three months watching a new AVOD service until moving onto a new option. Moreover, pay-TV subscribers admitted to hopping between AVOD services at more than twice the rate of broadband-only users.
• Too many options: Finding what consumers want to watch continues to be the number-one pain point for the vast majority, as services and content proliferate. Voice control is more popular than ever, with three-quarters (74%) of respondents who have access to voice search technology using it to help find content faster.
• In the neighborhood: 59% of survey respondents consider local content to be important or very important, with local weather (68%), news (65%) and sports (36%) topping their list of tune-in priorities. Pay-TV subscribers spend a quarter (24.6%) of their viewing time on local content, while broadband-only subscribers spend 16.2% of their viewing time watching local content.
• Cord-cutters come back: 25% of pay-TV subscribers are reported “Pay-TV Revivers” who once cut the cord and resubscribed. TiVo’s research team points out that pay-TV continues to have a significantly lower churn rate than subscription video on demand (SVOD).

More information from the latest Video Trends Report is available here. 

SAN JOSE, Calif.—TiVo’s new survey of viewing trends has found that total viewing fell in the 2nd quarter of 2022, particularly among younger viewers and that viewers are increasingly embracing AVOD/FAST streaming services, with the Roku Channel being ranked as the most popular AVOD/FAST service.  

The new TiVo Video Trends Report: Q2 2022 also highlighted the importance of local content, with 65% of respondents saying that local news content was “important.”  

But it also provided a mixed picture for local broadcasters, with data showing that use of streaming services, apps and social media far outpace the usage of antennas to access local content. 

The survey of 4,500+ people in the U.S. and Canada aged 18 or older found that among those who watched local content only 10.5% watched free broadcast TV via an antenna versus 51.4% accessing local content versus a pay TV services, a live streaming service (16.9%), a free ad supported streaming service (6.8%), TV network apps (5.1%) and social media apps (7.5%).  

That means 36.1% of respondents who watched local content accessed it from streaming services, apps or social media, far outpacing the use of broadcast antennas (10.5%).  

As cord cutting continues and pay TV subs decline, the report found that broadcasters aren’t benefiting from the trend. The report also found that pay TV users were much more likely to watch local content, with pay TV subs reporting that they spent 24.6% of their time watching local content versus broadband-only subs spending only 16.2% of their time with local content.   

Overall the report found that respondents watched 4.3 hours of video content per day in Q2 versus 4.5 hours a day in Q4 2021. The drop was most pronounced among millennials. Their total viewing time dropped by more than a half hour from 5.3 hours to 4.7 hours.  

AVOD/FAST channels however continue to increase their share of total viewing time from 10% in Q4 2022 to 22% in Q2 2022.  

Among the AVOD/FAST service, Roku Channel led with 21.5% reporting they used the service, followed by Tubi (19.7%), Peacock (19.4%), Pluto TV (17.1%), Crackle (11.2%) and Samsung TV Plus (11.1%).  

The full report is available here. 

BERLIN—Xperi has officially launched its independent media platform—TiVo OS—and announced that Vestel, one of the top three European TV producers, will launch “Powered by TiVo Smart TVs” as part of a multi-year, multi-country, multi-million-unit agreement, with the first units expected to ship in 2023.

The announcement comes nearly two months after Xperi announced its acquisition of Oslo-based Vewd, which Xperi said would expand its TiVo presence in Europe. Vewd inked a deal with Vestel in 2021 to integrate its Operator TV OS (which doesn’t require a set-top box) into Vestel smart TV sets.  

Distinguishing itself from other smart TV platforms that are built around “walled gardens,” Xperi describes TiVo OS as a “first-of-its-kind neutral platform, aimed at giving original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) significantly more control over the user experience and helping consumers cut through the clutter of streaming and linear content options with simplified, universal discovery to consumers.”

Jon Kircher, CEO of Xperi estimates that 40% of the worldwide smart TV market wants a “truly independent platform. 

“Today, nearly 30 million households worldwide are powered by TiVo through an array of CTV and other partners,” he said. “We are pleased to have signed our first smart TV partnership for TiVo OS, our embedded operating system and media platform for smart TVs, underlying progress toward our goal of becoming a leading independent TV OS platform supplier.”

Turan Erdoğan, CEO of Istanbul-based Vestel said the company’s mission is to be the ‘retailer of retailers,’ “offering a wide range of choices to its customers in terms of Smart TV OS platforms.”

“TiVo, and its parent company Xperi, have a long history of both championing great customer experiences and creating entertainment ecosystems,” Erdoğan said. “We believe that the industry will benefit from a partner-oriented, independent media platform that provides the necessary scale, both in technology and content to satisfy the global media landscape. TiVo has a proven track record in making it easy for consumers to find, watch and enjoy the content they love. We’re excited about partnering with TiVo to provide a European-focused Vestel Smart TV Powered by TiVo OS to provide consumers the experience they want.”

Zperi acquired TiVo for $3 billion three years ago with the intention of expanding the TiVo OS into the growing connected TV market, currently dominated by Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Google TV/Android. CTV advertising is estimated to grow from $16 billion to $36 billion by 2026, Xperi said.

Xperi says its “TV Powered by TiVo” can deliver better viewer engagement than its competitors due to its “unbiased content-first user experience where live hybrid TV and streaming services are fully integrated, empowering consumers to intuitively discover TV shows and movies across their favorite streaming apps in a free, familiar, and frictionless experience by selecting the streaming services that are most relevant to them.”

Rapid changes in the way people view TV programming and the proliferation of streaming services has roiled the ad market in recent years. It has opened up new opportunities as companies shifted ad dollars to digital and connected TV but also created some major headaches for large content producers who complain about the accuracy of traditional measurement services, and marketers who struggle to reach their target audiences, particularly younger consumers that have embraced ad-free SVOD services. 

TiVo, which is a subsidiary of tech company Xperi, sits squarely in the middle of those issues. Not only does it provide DVRs, set top boxes and streaming devices that are used by many consumers and pay TV operators, it also has a rapidly growing CTV advertising and data analytics businesses that draws on viewing data it collects from over 20 pay TV operators, TiVo devices and other sources. 

In this interview, Walt Horstman, senior vice president and general manager of advanced media and advertising at TiVo talks about the rapid changes in the ad business, his predictions for the future of measurement services, TiVo’s push into CTV advertising and the prognosis for advertising on SVOD services.  

TV Tech: Just to set the stage, talk a little about your role at TiVo and what the company is doing in terms of audience measurement data? 

Walt Horstman: My role is to lead the monetization business across TiVo. Our monetization business really has two fundamental components. 

One is an advertising business where we have our range of advertising products, including in-guide promotional advertising for content and content discovery. What we've been focused very heavily on is to launch our CTV advertising business, where we now have CTV inventory across the platform and with partners. 

Related to that is the data that we collect. So we've got our TiVo TV viewership data, where we have a very large footprint of viewership data that we're collecting from across 20 different cable operators as well as our TiVo devices. 

So it gives us this first party deterministic data on linear viewership and it is very representative across the United States because of the fact that it is multi sourced. It's not a walled garden, it's not limited to one particular cable operator or TV manufacturer, for example. It's this rich representative data set. 

We've been licensing that data out to measurement companies for the last few years, but what we're doing now is we're using that data as a foundation to power the targeting and the measurement of our connected TV advertising offering. So we're bringing to market this great perspective on linear TV viewership and advertising exposure, and then we’re using that data to bridge into the CTV world. 

So, we are maximizing incremental reach on CTV and driving incremental tune in for a marketer to linear television because we've got this world now where there are people who are viewing in the traditional TV world, but then they're also spending time in the streaming world. 

Marketers need to reach as broad an audience as they want, especially entertainment marketers. So, we've kind of put together this whole suite of assets I believe, that very nicely bridges the world of between the history of legacy TV, and then CTV.

TV Tech: Based on the data you have, what are some of the big viewing trends at the moment and what do those trends mean for the ad market and the upfronts this year?

WH: We have seen cord cutting, and we see that trend continuing, which has a material impact on total aggregate linear viewership and continues to drive scarcity in the linear TV market. 

Where that has an impact on the upfront, is that there is now a merging of inventory, whether it's linear TV or whether it's CTV, or what have you. I think we're starting to see the silos starting to come down between what is traditional linear versus digital. Now we're in this world of CTV we’re starting to hear people just talking about their video investment holistically. So that, I think, is a driving force within these year’s upfronts.

TV Tech: That highlights some of the complexities of measurement these days and the fact that we seem to be in a period where there is a lot of uncertainty about where measurement is going. It may be the period of greatest uncertainty about measurement I’ve seen in the last few decades. How do you see some of this shaking out? Are content providers and marketers going to have to continue to cobble together cross-platform measurement from a bunch of sources or might we get back to the point where there will be a single dominant currency or measurement system?

WH: It's hard to predict if we're ever going to get back to a standard syndicated measurement system. I think what we’ll see is a little bit of a dual track for the foreseeable future where we will have Nielsen operating as a currency. 

I think there are a whole host of reasons for how that legacy continues: it is embedded within the agency buying environment, it is embedded in stewardship systems; it's embedded in incentive systems for agencies. 

As much as people say, yes, there's a whole lot of flaws to it, it has been a standard for so many years and there's a lot of history tied to that standard. So it is pretty challenging to say all right, we're just gonna toss that out and we're gonna have a quick change to something new. 

So I think that we'll see a period, what I'm calling dual track, where we'll have a currency and then we’ll have, let’s call it “advanced measurement,” which involves using lots of rich data that determines the performance of the advertising campaign, based on whatever the business outcome is. 

And that has become incredibly sophisticated. Our data set, for example, is used by a host of these major advanced measurement companies who are using it to get answers about the impact of the advertising campaign on business outcomes. 

What's interesting is that it creates some very interesting asymmetries of information between buyers and sellers. 

In many ways, the buying community will start to have an asymmetrical advantage, because they will be able to measure the currency of the inventory based on existing currency and the effectiveness of it, and then identify opportunities of under or undervalued inventory. Often, that’s more than the sell side because the advanced measurement is providing that data on behalf of the buying community. 

Conversely, you've got some kind of walled gardens on the publisher side, who are holding back some information from the buy side. 

So everyone's trying to get an edge on intelligence, on the value of the inventory and it’s a question of how that asymmetry gets resolved. 

TV Tech: In light of those trends, what have you been doing to improve your offering in terms of this advanced measurement? 

WH: We're excited about the new sources of data that we are adding into our TV data sample. Historically, it's been from predominantly traditional QAM based set-top boxes. We've had a very big initiative within TiVo to launch an IPTV user experience and we are now starting to collect data from IP TV delivered video. So it will be interesting to see the differences and patterns of viewership behavior from that. 

The other area where we're making quite a bit of investment and improvement is just the ability to do full measurement of the incremental reach of a CTV campaign based on linear exposure to an ad campaign. Being able to quickly predict the households who have not been exposed to the linear TV campaign, means we can maximize that incremental reach and then pull lots of data together from various sources to measure the effectiveness for the campaign. For example, we can see how a campaign is driving traffic to a website or purchase behavior on a website is doing and then we can refresh the campaign for the second iteration to reach those people who visited but didn't purchase and we can then create that audience segment. So it's a continuous optimization of the campaign using the data.

TV Tech: How do you see addressable advertising for TV at this point? I know that there has been a lot of improvement in this area and a lot of work being done but I have to say on a personal level I’m not really seeing a lot of ads that seem targeted to me. 

WH: We’ve had this cycle where we had national linear television, and we started to do addressable advertising within the two minutes per hour for the MVPDs. There were a series of verticals who have adopted it quite nicely. Auto being one and political being another one. 

What’s interesting is that now we're in this interesting phase where the whole industry is focused on streaming and CTV. 

We do a lot of advertising with the entertainment companies and it’s interesting that there's not a monolithic strategy here. For some of the entertainment companies, it's very important to continue to drive viewership to their linear offerings. They want to keep the linear business going. It's the core foundation of their business and they want to keep that going. They are using all these other channels to drive activity on linear. 

Then, there are others who are saying we're making the pivot and we're now driving viewership to our streaming offering. That is the future. So we're just going to put all of our marketing and promotion investment into that streaming offerings. 

The reason I bring this up is because it has implications about investment or focus on linear addressable television. How long does that keep going before the world just migrates all into streaming, which inherently has all the targeting capabilities that everybody has been dreaming of?

All of the data and rich targeting that you can do on digital, you can now do on CTV. You can do all of the campaign optimization and the measurement that I was talking about. 

So, I think the question is: at what point does the focus just shift towards CTV and away from what I will call it traditional addressable?

TV Tech: Obviously ad supported streaming and fast channels are a very hot topic. Everybody's jumping into that, even next Netflix. What’s your take on that trend and how are you working to help people take advantage of the advertising opportunities? 

WH: My perspective on ad supported streaming channels is that it's a good thing. Looking at traditional television and the economic model of traditional television, It has to be ad supported to ensure that you've got ongoing sustainable investment in the programming. And it’s also important for the U.S. economy, which is consumer-based. So you have to have a robust video ad supported ecosystem that has broad full scale reach. 

So, if you are looking at the health of the American consumer economy, if you've got such a large population of people who are basically in non ad-supported streaming video services, and have basically opted out of the video advertising ecosystem, that's a problem. It’s a problem for marketers to get their messages out to consumers. 

We could have a spirited debate about the role of advertising in society, but in a consumer based economy, you need to have a vigorous ad supported video ecosystem. It's the most effective medium to build a brand and that's critically important. 

In terms of what we are doing at TiVo within the FAST channel world, we are continuously integrating many of the fast channels into the TiVo user experience and we have a whole content team that's out striking new deals for distribution within the user experience. 

One of our areas of expertise as a company is also content discovery and metadata. We are integrating those fast channels into the linear experience, and then making recommendations on what content we think is most relevant for the user. Because the world continues to be fragmented and consumers need that data driven recommendation to help them get to the content quickly, that drives this holistic linear and streaming recommendation engine across the board. 

SAN JOSE, Calif.—TiVo and its wholly-owned subsidiary of Xperi Holding Corporation have announced the launch of TiVo Xtend, a suite of end-to-end advertising solutions built on the foundation of TiVo’s first-party TV viewership data.

As TV consumption shifts away from linear and towards OTT and VOD, advertisers are seeing their reach decline from traditional TV buys. TiVo Xtend helps overcome that problem by bridging the gap between linear and streaming, allowing advertisers to understand how audiences are engaging with their TV campaigns, TiVo said. 

“With TiVo Xtend, advertisers can deliver incremental reach with their CTV campaigns and drive more impactful results,” said Walt Horstman, senior vice president, monetization at TiVo. “Powered by our linear TV viewership data, the end-to-end TiVo Xtend suite enables marketers to optimize outcomes for integrated campaign initiatives using the power of first-party data. The integration of our behavioral data will enhance the effectiveness of audience creation and targeted CTV placement.”

Key features include:

• TiVo Xtend Data: Deterministic, first-party viewership data to identify who has or has not tuned into programming or seen a message from a brand or its competitor(s).
• TiVo Xtend Audiences: Custom or pre-built programmatic audience segments, scaled and tested for precise digital targeting on CTV, PC, tablet and mobile.
• TiVo Xtend CTV: Premium CTV inventory layered with Xtend or custom audiences to add incremental reach and frequency to linear across 40 million households.
• TiVo Xtend Dynamic Ads: Dynamic, clickable ads placed within native TiVo Guides to promote content to relevant and engaged audiences.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Consumers are rapidly embracing streaming services, with the average person having 8.8 video services in Q2 2021, up from 5 in 2017, but churn rates are also high, according to the Q2, 2021 "Video Trends Report from TiVo." 

The report found that respondents used an average of 8.8 video services, up 27% just since the end of 2020. People with higher incomes of more than $100K averaged 12.12 compared to 6.35 for those earning less than $50k. Younger viewers aged 18 to 30 were also heavily stacking streaming services, using on average 11.3 services. 

But the survey also found that SVOD churn was high, with just under 25% reporting they had cancelled a SVOD service in the last six months. This was a much higher rate than pay TV, with 11% of the respondents reported dropping their pay TV provider in the last year. 

Money was the top reason for cutting both pay TV and SVOD services, with 73% of the cord cutters saying they dropped pay TV because of price, while 37% of respondents said they dropped an SVOD service because it raised prices. Another 30% said they dropped the SVOD subscription because they weren’t using it enough. 

The importance of money in making these decisions reflects the fact that the average respondent reported paying $142.20 a month for internet and video services. Despite these hefty outlays, 60% reported that it was hard to find good TV series or movies to watch and another 55% said they were spending too much on video entertainment. 

Interestingly, pay TV subscribers spent the most on SVOD services ($32.70 a month compared to $28.10 for broadband only customers.)

The survey also found that local content was a must for pay TV subs, with 85% of pay TV subs saying local content was important compared to about 65% for broadband only. 

In terms of streaming media players, the survey found Amazon Fire, which was used by 30% of respondents, slightly more popular than Roku (29%), followed by Apple TV (21%) and Chromecast (18%.)

The full report with more data can be accessed here. 

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—Consumer data exchange company BDEX has teamed up with TiVo for a collaboration that will provide BDEX’s data solutions to more advertisers, enabling TiVo to expand its reach and give advertisers access to nationwide audiences, per the announcement.

With the partnership, TiVo will use BDEX’s new Omnisource IQ machine learning technology. This enables TiVo to use its TV data to create an accurate, scalable model of its advertisers’ ideal target audiences, the companies say. Advertisers can then activate these audiences via the platform of their choice, including LiveRamp, The Trade Desk, Neustar, Lotame and Eyeota; additional platforms are expected to be available in early second quarter of 2021.

“Utilizing BDEX’s data infrastructure and machine learning capabilities will enable TiVo to offer advertisers the ability to scale their audiences nationwide with unprecedented accuracy,” said BDEX CEO and co-founder David Finkelstein.

“As streaming accelerates and viewership shifts across devices, it’s key for advertisers to reach their target audiences when and where they consume content,” said Walt Horstman, senior vice president of monetization, TiVo. “We are excited to partner with BDEX to offer our advertisers the ability to identify and reach TV audiences at scale in a brand-safe environment, on their preferred devices, while respecting consumer privacy.”

For more information, visit BDEX’s website. 

ATLANTA—TiVo and Pindrop, a voice authentication and fraud detection company, have announced a partnership with the goal of providing streamlined content discovery experiences using AI-based voice ID technology.

TiVo and Pindrop will work together to bring voice authentication technology to TiVo’s Conversation Services product. The goal is to have the device be able to distinguish between household members and adjust suggestions accordingly. This would enable people to have personalized recommendations to queries like “What should I watch?” without manually changing profiles, per TiVo. 

User opt-in is required, and while knowing a difference, the Pindrop technology does not actually identify the speaker.

"Contextual awareness is key when engaging users through a Natural User Interface. Beyond just understanding what was said, we want to understand the context of the situation to drive intelligent system behavior in the moment," said Jon Heim, senior director of Product & Conversation Services at TiVo. "The ability to distinguish between different members of a household based on their voice is an example of this contextual awareness, enabling us to provide an unprecedented level of personalization through an experience tailored to that specific person."

The Pindrop technology is able to analyze more than 250 specific biological and behavioral voice characteristics, like frequency, harmonics of speech, rhythm, style, tone and emotions, the press release says. Pindrop provides an independent and platform-agnostic solution.

The first TiVo enabled product with Pindrop technology is expected to be announced in the next few months.

For more information, visit www.pindrop.com/tv.  

SAN JOSE, Calif.—TiVo has launched “Deep Discovery,” a new programming search tool designed to help viewers find more relevant recommendations. The API-based metadata solution has also signed up its first customer in Finnish-based company Elisa.

The Deep Discovery package, which is an option with Video Metadata, adds new detailed metadata for more highly relevant search results and recommendations. Metadata examples include:

• Mood, tone, theme and time period; 
• Topics that bring in details from the content to form connections to special interests; 
• Popularity scores that can link older titles to trending content; and  
• Weighted keywords 

TiVo links these fields to standardized video metadata.

“In a content landscape with more options than ever, advanced personalization and relevance are fundamental for products and services as consumers increasingly want to interact with brands that know what they want, before they ever search for it,” said Chris Ambrozic, vice president of Product, Discovery at Xperi, TiVo’s parent company. “Deep Discovery harnesses the power of AI and machine learning to deliver more relevant and personalized recommendations for service providers like Elisa.”

Elisa is the provider of the Elisa Viihde digital entertainment service in Finland, where viewers can access streaming video services, rental movies and pay-TV packages. Elisa has had a relationship with TiVo since 2014, utilizing its TV Schedule and VOD Metadata.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—TiVo has announced that it is expanding its partnership with the free streaming service Pluto TV that will see the addition of 72 Pluto TV channels onto the TiVo+ content network.

The new Pluto TV channels now available for TiVO+ customers include linear and on-demand content that ranges from news, sports, kids, entertainment and lifestyle programming. Thirteen Spanish language channels are also being added to service as part of the deal.

TiVo+, which is available on the TiVo Stream 4K platform, now has 144 channels. In addition to Pluto TV, TiVo+ also has an ongoing partnership with Sling TV.

The Pluto TV channels are now available for TiVo Stream 4K users and will be rolling out to select TiVo DVR and related devices.

For more information, visit TiVo’s parent company, Xperi. 

CHANDLER, Ariz.—Channel Master, a manufacturer of over-the-air TV products, has announced it has entered into an exclusive, strategic agreement with TiVo to offer its DVR technology for OTA antenna users.

As part of the partnership, Channel Master will begin providing the 500GB TiVo Edge DVR this summer. TiVo’s Edge device is designed for antennas and will have the same functions and features of its 2TB predecessor, including voice control, recommendations across live and streaming content, 4K UHD, Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision HDR.

“One of the first things cord cutters discover is that they really need a DVR for the TV antenna in order to have the traditional viewing experience that they had with cable, and TiVo DVRs provide a premium solution for that need,” said Mike Lynch, chief strategy officer at Channel Master.

Lynch says that in addition to recording live TV, the Edge can integrate major streaming services, including Netflix, YouTube and Hulu into its interface.

For more information, visit www.channelmaster.com.  

SAN JOSE, Calif.—The TiVo Stream 4K, which TiVo describes as a “unifying streamer,” is now available to consumers. After debuting at CES 2020, TiVo Stream 4K is designed to bring content from popular platforms, live or streaming, together on a single screen.

“At a time when viewers are streaming more than ever across a sea of platforms, TiVo Stream 4K integrates that content with recommendation and search features to make it easier to find, watch and enjoy the best news, entertainment and sports from today’s most popular services,” said Dave Shull, president and CEO of TiVo.

Here are the main features of the TiVo Stream 4K:

• Integration with major streaming video services: The TiVo Stream 4K offers integration with streaming video services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Google Play. This removes the need to toggle between multiple apps for different shows, said TiVo. It also features new search options and intelligent recommendations to find streaming content.
• Live streaming TV partnership with Sling TV: Sling TV provides live TV content to the platform, with content listings available through universal search or by speaking into the Voice Remote. 
• TiVo+: TiVo+ is TiVo’s own video network that delivers live streaming channels with thousands of TV shows and movies in an app-free environment. There is also access to 49 free streaming channels across news, sports, kids, food, music and comedy. 
• Dolby Atmos sound and Dolby Vision HDR capabilities. 
• Ease of setup and use: The TiVo Stream 4K plugs in to existing HDMI ports on TVs and runs off a broadband internet connection. No monthly subscription fees are required. 

TiVo is offering the TiVo Stream 4K for $49.99, including a free seven-day free trial of Sling TV for new subscribers.

For more information, visit www.tivo.com/streamNOW. 

SAN JOSE, Calif.—TiVo’s chief revenue officer, Matt Milne, said the company’s new consumer-grade streaming device, the TiVo Stream 4K, should hit the market in “the next few weeks.” 

Speaking during a keynote session today at Future Media’s Virtual Spring TV Week online conference, Milne said TiVo product developers have been working at home amid the pandemic to get the Android TV-based OTT device ready to market. 

At CES in January, where TiVo introduced the $70 dongle and successfully created buzz for it, the company touted an April release date for the TiVo Stream 4K.

“It’s a testament to our whole team that we’ve been able conduct the necessary product test and will have high quality product we can launch to market,” Milne said. 

The TiVo 4K Stream will have access to all the apps available in the Google Play Store via Android TV. What will make it different from other OTT devices, Milne said, is its ability to tap TiVo’s sizable search and discover resources.

“We’re investing well over $100 million a year at a foundational level to help people with discovery,” he said. “This is a product built for the streaming wars. It’s built to bring all that content together.”

Users of streaming services, Milne said, spend an average of 11 minutes searching among—also on average—seven SVOD, AVOD and other OTT programming sources for a movie, TV show, news or sports event. 

The TiVo 4K Stream will allow users to navigate their apps through the traditional “Gemstar grid,” Milne said. But it will also offer a separate UI based on TiVo’s proprietary search and discovery interface. 

TiVo, he said, will become a “neutral third party,” with SVOD and AVOD platforms available to, in turn, anonymously monitor app usage through TiVo. 

PLUS: TiVo Stream 4K: When Will the Big CES Buzz Product Finally Arrive?

TiVo isn’t totally neutral—it recently launched its own AVOD platform, TiVo Plus. Milne didn’t say whether or not TiVo Plus has any kind of priority status in terms of what search and discovery results users might get on TiVo Stream 4K. 

“We see this as a merchandizer opportunity,” Milne said. “How do we connect the consumer to the content?”

This article was originally published on TVT's sister publication Next|TV.

LAS VEGAS—TiVo is getting into the streaming business, with the unveiling at CES 2020 of TiVo Stream 4K, a live TV and cloud DVR service through Sling TV.

TiVo Stream 4K will be a small device that plugs into the HDMI port on a TV. In addition to Sling TV, it will provide other video services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, YouTube and TiVo’s own TiVo+ service. TiVo also says it can deliver Dolby Atmos sound and Dolby Vision HDR.

TiVo Stream 4K is set to be released in April 2020 for $69.99.

For more information, read TVT’s sister publication Multichannel News’ full report.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—TiVo and Xperi are entering into a happy new union, with the two companies announcing that that have agreed to combine in an all-stock merger that values at $3 billion. Together, they say they will create a “leading consumer and entertainment technology business and one of the industry’s largest intellectual property licensing platforms with a diverse portfolio of entertainment and semiconductor intellectual property.”

With this merger, TiVo is expected to provide its content aggregation, discovery and recommendation capabilities with Xperi’s product capabilities in the home, automotive and mobile device ecosystems, helping consumers enjoy content anywhere, anytime, the two sides said.

The intellectual property licensing platform that will be offered by this newly formed company will reportedly serve markets in entertainment content, consumer electronics and semiconductors, and includes more than 10,000 patents and applications between TiVo and Xperi, TiVo said.

“There is more content, and more ways to enjoy that content, than ever before,” said David Shull, CEO of TiVo. “In a rapidly expanding and fragmenting digital universe, consumers want and need to be able to easily find and enjoy the content that matters to them. TiVo has always been the company that brings entertainment together. Now, we can significantly expand our mission. With Xperi’s annual licensing of more than 100 million connected TV units, and complementary relationships with major content providers, consumer electronics manufacturers and automotive OEMs, our combined company will transform the home, car and mobile entertainment experience for the consumer.”

The new parent company will take the Xperi name but will still provide entertainment services under the TiVo brand, alongside Xperi’s DTS, HD Radio and IMAX Enhanced brands.

This merger will take the place of TiVo's plans announced earlier this year that it was going to separate its product and IP licensing business.

Jon Kirchner, Xperi’s CEO, will take on the same role in the new parent company, with Xperi CFO Robert Andersen also serving as the parent company’s CFO. Shull is tapped with continuing as a strategic advisor to help out with the transition.

The merger has been agreed to by the board of directors of both companies and is expected to close during the second quarter of 2020, subject to regulatory approvals.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—TiVo is launching two new offerings for consumers in areas that many of them are demanding, streaming and 4K. The first, TiVo+, is the company’s new video network, while TiVo EDGE is an advanced device for home entertainment viewing.

Expected to be available in the next few weeks, TiVo+ delivers live streaming channels and thousands of TV shows and movies in an app-free environment. Consumers can access the content available through a curated selection using the TiVo voice powered remote. For this new video network, TiVo has partnered with Xumo, Junkin Media and others to offer channels like TMZ, Outside TV+, PowerNation, FailArmy, Unsolved Mysteries, Hell’s Kitchen | Kitchen Nightmares, Food52 and Ameba available alongside TV and subscription services at launch; other channels from Gannett, Loop Media, Revry, Newsy, Tastemade, Latido Music and Mobcrush are expected in the future.

Now available, and what TiVo recommends pairing the TiVo+ network with, is the TiVo EDGE, a 4K UHD media device that comes in two versions, one for an HD antenna or one for digital cable. Through TiVo EDGE, viewers can access live, recorded and streaming TV on one device and features Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision HDR. TiVO EDGE also offers established TiVo features like SkipMode, OneSearch and OnePass. Both the cable and antenna units come with a two TB hard drive for up to 300 HD hours of content, with four tuners for the antenna model and six tuners for the cable.

TiVo EDGE for antenna is available for $349.99 and requires either a $6.99 monthly, $69.99 annually, or one-time all-in service plan of $249.99. For cable, the unit costs $399.99, and plans that range from $14.99 to $149.99 to $549.99.

“TiVo+ and TiVo EDGE will make it easier for viewers to find and enjoy watching what they love across live TV, DVR and online streaming services,” said Dave Shull, president and CEO of TiVo.

Visit TiVo’s website for more info on TiVo+ and TiVo EDGE.

NEW YORK—Locast has added TiVo to the list of platforms for which there is already a Locast app for that. Those include Apple iOS, AppleTV, Android, AndroidTV, Roku, Amazon Firestick, Hopper, DirecTV and "multiple web browser platforms.”

Locast is the over-the-top (OTT) service that streams TV stations without having to negotiate with the station for carriage or pay a license fee. It uses a provision of copyright law that allows nonprofits to re-broadcast local stations.

“Access to local broadcast TV is important,” said David Goodfriend, chairman of the Sports Fans Coalition of New York, the nonprofit running Locast. “As proven by the local weather and emergency information disseminated during Hurricane Dorian, Americans rely on their local broadcast TV stations and their mobile wireless devices to receive valuable safety and public information. With Locast, critical information on broadcast TV is available anytime, anywhere to the public on numerous platforms, now including TiVo.”

Locast launched on Jan. 11, 2018. It is currently delivering most local TV stations to online viewers in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, Boston, Washington, D.C., Denver, Baltimore, Sioux Falls, S.D, and Rapid City, S.D.

After remaining relatively quiet about the service, the Big Four broadcast nets filed suit against Locast in July, saying it was a commercial service in noncom's clothing. 

SAN JOSE, Calif.—TiVo is introducing some new capabilities to its TV Viewership Data product, announcing the optional integration of data from Kantar and Drawbridge. These new offerings are meant to provide additional insights to demographics, consumer preferences and behaviors.

The addition of Kantar ad data provides both programming viewership data as well as advertising viewership for millions of U.S. households. With the Drawbridge Identity Graph, customers can link viewership data with associated mobile ad identifiers so to extend the reach and measurement of advertisements and marketing across pay-TV, OTT and digital platforms.

“There’s no reason why TV can’t be as targetable and measurable as other platforms, and give marketers the ability to reach and report on viewership, engagement and conversion across the entire cross-channel consumer journey,” said John DeGennaro, vice president of enterprise partnerships with Drawbridge.

These new attributes are available immediately with the TV Viewership Data product.

UPDATE: TiVo's plans to split up its product and IP licensing businesses have been scrapped as the company has announced a $3 billion merger with Xperi.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—A unanimous vote by the TiVo Board has approved the separation of the company’s product and IP licensing businesses into two independent entities.

“Operating independently, these two businesses will have increased flexibility to pursue new and growing market opportunities,” said Raghu Rau, interim president and CEO of TiVo. “We believe this separation is the best way to maximize shareholder value, while also enhancing the possibility of value-creating strategic transactions.”

The products business will consist of the platform solutions and software and services businesses and will spin it out to shareholders. The licensing business will consist of Rovi and TiVo patent portfolios, which consists of 5,500 issued patents and pending applications worldwide, per TiVo.

TiVo expects that it will be able to finalize the split in the first half of 2020. Full management teams and boards of both companies will be named in the months leading up to their launch. The separation will still be subject to customary closing conditions.

The announcement came prior to TiVo announcing its first quarter earnings report. In that report, IP licensing generated $295 million in Q1, while product sales made earned $401 million. Overall, TiVo reported a first quarter net loss of $26.1 million.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Cable operator RCN will be the first to dip its toe into TiVo’s Next-Gen Platform and what innovations it can bring to its customers.

The platform is led by TiVo’s IPTV suite of products, which include TiVo Solutions for Android TV, TiVo for Streamers and TiVo for Mobile. These products assist with the delivery of IPVOD, IP Linear, Restart, Catch-Up and Network DVR content. RCN subscribers can access these services on managed STBs powered by Android TV or unmanaged consumer-owned devices like Amazon Fire, Apple TV and iOS or Android mobile devices.

Additional services help boost the entertainment experience through things like hyper-personalization, advanced search and recommendations, conversational voice control and universal discovery across content platforms.

TiVo’s platform will be available to RCN’s internet, digital TV and home phone customers, as well as other RCN properties, including Grande Communications Networks and WaveDivision Holdings.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—TiVo said it has filed yet another patent infringement lawsuit against Comcast.

Through its Rovi unit, the company said its latest federal complaint, filed in the Central District of California, covers patents related to “cloud and multi-room DVR features” offered by Comcast Xfinity pay TV set-tops and gateways.

TiVo didn’t specify which patent numbers were involved—or if any of the patents have already been subject to the company’s wide-ranging, seemingly endless legal quest to get Comcast to pay it technology licensing fees.

“We believe Comcast’s Xfinity X1 continues to infringe Rovi’s cloud and multi-room DVR patents—a vital component of home entertainment,” said Arvin Patel, executive VP and chief intellectual property officer at Rovi Corporation, in a statement.

“Litigation is always a last resort but we will continue to take every necessary legal action to ensure that Comcast fairly compensates Rovi for its use of our patented innovations,” Patel added. “We have a responsibility to our stakeholders, licensees and customers to protect our intellectual property.”

Think of TiVo’s latest filing as simply putting more logs on the fire.

TiVo has been somewhat transparent about its legal strategy. The company is seeking to create as much legal action against Comcast as possible, around as many patents as it can. The aim is to put pressure on Comcast to either eliminate X1 features, or pay licensing fees.

The dispute dates back to 2016, when Comcast stopped paying licensing fees to TiVo.

“Comcast itself has been forced to remove certain functionality from Xfinity X1 and has been subject to an exclusion order after the ITC found it had infringed Rovi’s valuable IP,” TiVo said in a statement. “We are optimistic that Comcast will come to the table and pay the appropriate licensing fees to ensure their customers receive the best home entertainment services and features available.”

“Rovi has in recent years deployed its increasingly obsolete patent portfolio in an unsuccessful litigation campaign seeking to charge Comcast and our customers for technology that Rovi did not invent," Comcast replied in its own statement. "Rovi launched this campaign in April 2016 by asserting infringement of 15 patents—14 of which have been held to be invalid and/or not infringed by Comcast, or have been withdrawn by Rovi. While we haven’t had an opportunity to review Rovi’s latest complaint, we will continue to defend ourselves against allegations we determine to be meritless.”

Notably, TiVo’s latest filing comes as attorney Ashok Ramani, a partner for the firm Davis Polk, was named among the top IP lawyers in California by the Daily Journal.

Among Ramani’s recent career highlights, according to the Daily Journal, was defending Comcast in an eight-patent suit filed earlier by TiVo in the Central District of California. 

LONDON—TiVo is rolling out its new CubiTV service, which is designed to allow operators to utilize the Android TV Operator Tier and its benefits.

CubiTV is a pre-integrated system that delivers an immersive user experience with an operator-branded interface that accesses the Google Assistant search and browse functionality. Using this with Android TV ecosystem, operators can boost customer experience with OTT content, apps and games, as well as services like Google Assistant on TV and IoT integrations.

CubiTV for Android TV also gives operators the ability to add features through a STB-agnostic architecture; possible upgrades include TiVo’s personalized content discovery platform.

Deployment options for CubiTV leverage the CubiTV DVB stack and pre-conditional access and STB integrations.

TiVo is planning to publicly demonstrate CubiTV for Android TV at the 2019 Connected TV World Summit in London from March 27-28.

Liberty Global said it has named former TiVo CEO Enrique Rodriguez executive vice president and chief technology officer, taking the spot left vacant after former CTO Balan Nair was promoted to head up Liberty Global’s Latin American operation in January.

Rodriguez will start his new position in late July. Since January, Baptiest Coopmans has filled in as interim CTO. He will remain with the company as senior vice president, operations.

“Enrique is a seasoned executive who will hit the ground running on day one,” Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries said in a statement. “In today's technology environment the best CTOs have worked across sectors, platforms and geographies. Enrique has C-level experience as an engineer, software developer and operator. …I'm particularly excited to tap into Enrique's knowledge of video products and platforms as we ramp up innovation in our TV business. He’s the right leader at the right time for Liberty Global.”

Rodriguez will lead Liberty Global’s Technology & Innovation (T&I) team of more than 7,500 employees, with an annual operating and capital budget of more than $5 billion.

[Read: TiVo Exiting The Box-Making Business]

Rodriguez was named CEO of TiVo in 2017. Prior to that, he has managed multi-billion dollar businesses for companies like AT&T, Microsoft, Cisco and Thomson, and has a long history in digital television as well as the European broadband sector.

As head of Microsoft's Connected TV business, he launched IPTV solutions for telecommunication companies around the world. At AT&T Rodriguez was responsible for the teams that developed and launched its OTT service, DirecTV Now.

Rodriguez will lead Liberty Global’s Technology & Innovation (T&I) team of more than 7,500 employees, with an annual operating and capital budget of more than $5 billion. The centralized technology function powers the IT, supply chain, product development and delivery and network platforms across Liberty's operating companies, working across countries and brands to help them succeed. Liberty Global’s standardized approach to its portfolio of software and hardware, which includes the Horizon TV platform and state-of-the-art Connect WiFi routers, plays a critical role in optimizing operational efficiency and delivering a consistently superior experience to Liberty's 22 million customers in Europe.

“This is an exciting time to join Liberty Global,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “It is one of the few companies in our sector with international scale, a long-term commitment to technology leadership, and a track record of consistent growth and value creation. Mike and his team are first class operators and I look forward to accelerating product innovation and building the network capacity that European consumers want and demand.”

TV measurement is going through big changes, according to a new whitepaper from TiVo.

After years of audience estimates being based on small samples or panels of viewer, big data has come to TV in the form of set-top-box data and automated content recognition.

Those new forms of data “are set to radically change the way marketers, networks and broadcasters measure TV viewership, plan media buys and execute ad campaigns,” TiVo says.

While not mentioning Nielsen by name, the report says that using old-school TV measurement—in a digital age is creating skepticism about measurement from networks and marketers.

“The root of this growing skepticism is the continued reliance on small panels – numbering in the tens of thousands of households – to represent the TV viewing behavior of 120+ million U.S. households. As one interview subject with a background in statistics put it, ‘modeling the entire population from such a small sample necessitates lots of assumptions and risks many inaccuracies,’” the report says.

Nielsen stands by its approach.

“To accurately measure anything, you need to be able to directly observe it and sample it in a representative way. That is why our industry standard panel is and will continue to be the foundation of television measurement,” said Kelly Abcarian, senior vice president, product leadership at Nielsen.

“Panels are purposely built for persons level media measurement, while big data is a byproduct of a machine. So not only is this device level data instead of persons level data, but it is also merely an unrepresentative bigger sample. A sample that is incomplete, biased and discriminates against those excluded from its measurement is a problem regardless of its size. If big data comes more from high rises, city dwellers or apartments instead of private residences, meaning you don’t get data from all parts of the market and you don’t have a truth set that can be used for adjustments, you can’t pretend it doesn't matter,” Abcarian said. “As we have seen in digital, when data is not accurate or transparent, this results in under delivery of the ROI goals and advertisers will either lose confidence in television as a medium, or the agency, or both.”

Measurement is a more complicated proposition now than when there were three networks and families watched on TV set in the living room. Now there are new platforms and devices and an explosion of content. Marketers also have experience with digital media, which promises precise measurement, targeted audiences and feedback on how users responded to content and advertising.

TiVo says the new forms of viewing data are being collected at scale, are highly granular, are being built for new viewing methods and can be integrated into marketing models.

Set-top-box data is the largest source of TV viewing data at this point. One downside, however is that because of the fragmented nature of the cable industry combining data from different operators can be tricky.

“The biggest problem – and one that limits the number of companies willing to even tackle STB data aggregation – is dealing with the variety of file formats, data structures and levels of granularity,” the TiVo report said. “Concerns about how well STB data reflects the overall population persist, since 17%of TV households rely purely on over-the-air signals and an increasing number of younger households are cutting the cord.”

Data based on automated content recognition is available from fewer viewers at this point.

“Manufacturers are only beginning to share ACR data with other companies or withholding it completely, limiting the reach of ACR data available today,” the report says. “Vizio is a notable exception, but census-level ACR data availability would require active participation from major manufacturers – and none appear willing to cooperate with others.”

On the plus side, the TiVo report says ACR data collection benefits from its flexibility, allowing the capture of viewing data across linear, DVR and smart TV app viewing, although there may be data gaps in VOD and some long-tail content due to watermarking requirements.

It is tough to combine set-top-box viewing data with commercial logs, the report says.

“ACR technology enables the tracking of ad units at the individual device level without having to rely upon commercial as-run logs. This allows for faster reporting on ad delivery and more accurate data for addressable TV advertising. Nonetheless, taking advantage of this technology requires advertisers to incorporate ACR-ready watermarks during the production and distribution process,” the report said.

The presence of clear, trackable consumer conversion activity is essential, as with all attribution, the report added.

While the new methods of audience data collection have advantages, adopting them faces hurdles, the report says. Those included:

• Industry inertia and the currency conundrum: “Despite the limitations of traditional, panel-based TV measurement, it is the currency by which billions of dollars of TV advertising is bought and sold. And, it is no small task to shift from today’s gross rating point (GRP)-based TV buying model to the impression-based buying model required to maximize the benefits of next-gen TV data,” the report says.

• Data quality transparency:For next-gen TV data to become the new standard, data vendors will need to offer greater transparency into their collection approach, modeling methods and data sources.

• Consumer privacy and regulation: Digital data collection and targeting has long been subject to a set of self-regulatory guidelines, but the nascent nature of TV data collection means these standards are still evolving.

Looking ahead, greater data scale, quality standards, privacy protections and ease of access through aggregation will enable marketers and networks to more seamlessly leverage the strengths of both set-top-box and ACR data,” the report said.

“People-based marketing will become a reality as marketers and networks stop evaluating TV ad exposure in aggregate demographic groups and instead map individual TV viewing behavior to cross-device marketing exposure and attributed outcomes. Now that marketers have these capabilities across other screens, they will also demand them from TV,” the report said.

In a move that will get TiVo out of the hardware-making business, the company announced that it has signed a “major” device manufacturer to serve as its direct-to-consumer box partner.

Tied in, this partner, yet unnamed, will also take over retail sales of TiVo products outside of TiVo.com, including outlets such as Amazon and Best Buy, Enrique Rodriguez, TiVo’s president and CEO, said Thursday on the company’s Q1 earnings call.

TiVo, he explained, won’t produce or contract directly for the manufacturing of TiVo’s retail devices, but will secure the volumes needed from its new partner for sales made via TiVo.com.

“In that sense, we’re acting as a distribution channel,” Rodriguez said. With respect to sales through other retail channels, “we’d be completely out of that transaction.”

[Read: Amazon Deploys Download TV Service With TiVo]

For consumers, there will be no material change, as products will continue to be branded as TiVo and run the TiVo experience, he added.

TiVo has already made a similar move on its MSO partnership business, as its software and experience have been ported to devices made by Arris.

On the MSO front, TiVo has completely transitioned out of the hardware business, as Q1 was the last with MSO hardware revenue, as TiVo has completed fulfillment of orders made last year, Rodriguez said.

On the software front, Rodriguez reiterated that TiVo’s new platform, TiVo Experience 4, was released to the retail market in Q4 2017, and is becoming broadly available to MSO customers this quarter. In the MSO realm, TiVo is using that new platform to help partners embark on IPTV transitions and as a catalyst to migrate MSOs from legacy Rovi guides to the higher-end TiVo experience.

Service Electric Cable TV is already on board, as is RCN Corp., which will be the first to roll out an IPTV service using TiVo Experience 4 using an Android TV device. Mediacom Communications recently renewed and extended its deal with TiVo.

TiVo is also preparing to launch a new advertising product that provides sponsored, in-guide recommendation results for relevant programming. A mid-tier MSO with coverage across “multiple, large DMAs” is signed on to deploy this on mobile devices and set-top boxes, Rodriguez said.

That capability will be deployed within TiVo’s personalized content discovery suite, he added, noting that it enables TiVo’s anonymous viewership data to be matched with other anonymous first- and third-party information.

TiVo had no new detail to share about its ongoing exploration of alternatives aimed at driving shareholder value that could include M&A or taking the company private.

That process is ongoing, though TiVo expects to be ready to provide an update when it announced Q2 results, Rodriguez said.

There’s also no significant movement with respect to TiVo’s ongoing litigation with Comcast.

“Getting a license [with Comcast] remains one of our top priorities,” Rodriguez said, holding that he’s “confident” that Comcast will eventually come to terms.

TiVo posted Q1 revenues of $189.83 million, down 7.7% year-over-year, driven by drops in its legacy TiVo solutions IP licenses and hardware line items.

TiVo, which merged with Rovi in the fall of 2016, said it reached its goal of realizing $100 million in integration synergies, and expects to complete its extended goal of $110 million by the end of Q2.

When voice search launched on personal devices, the feature was touted as a “personalized” search engine. But when users asked their device, “Find me a restaurant,” it wouldn’t know that the user didn’t like French food and that it should remove French restaurants from the search altogether. Arguably, this isn’t truly personalized.

Home assistants face the same challenge. Amazon Alexa can now recognize different voices and accents, however it still cannot respond to complex, conversational queries, such as “What’s on TV tonight?” without installing a specialist skill. This is despite TiVo finding the phrase, “What’s on TV tonight?” as one of the most frequently occurring voice searches performed at any given time.

To ensure a positive experience in the TV space, it is critical that pay-TV providers offer users accurate, personalized voice search from the get-go. Rather than pull up the standard TV guide when users ask, “What’s on TV tonight?”, the response should highlight the top shows that it knows the viewer will be most interested in watching. Consumers recognize voice search as a much easier method to find something to watch on TV, when compared to remote control-driven keyboard text search. However, the key is being able to facilitate a conversation that takes into account personalization and intent.

A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

When it comes to increasing voice search functionality, pay-TV providers already have a head start. Their abundance of data gives them a major competitive advantage over personal and home assistant devices, as they know subscribers’ viewing behavior, such as their favorite TV shows, music, actors and sports. In turn, this will enable a truly personalized voice search offering.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning techniques can also help pay-TV providers to provide viewers with intuitive voice enabled discovery. Through delving into the high-quality metadata from their large back catalogues and informing the entertainment experience, AI and machine learning methods would make television viewing more fluid. This is ideal for improving the relevance of search results and recommendations, as users will be able to ask naturally spoken questions and follow-up queries that the technology will understand. The user would be able to engage in a normal, free-flowing dialogue. For example, if they asked the system “Find me a Tom Hanks movie,” then specified “just comedy movies,” then also added “from the 80s,” results like “Big,” “Bachelor Party,” “The Burbs” and “Dragnet” would materialize. Performing a similar search with a text-based remote would prove far more burdensome, if possible at all.

With this backbone of data, pay-TV providers have two major hurdles to cement voice search as a preferable search mode:

Personalization: Voice search will become the norm when a device knows the user’s preferences and likes. For example, when a father asks the set-top box, “What’s on TV tonight?” his results should differ from his teenage son’s results for the same request. Similarly, if a mom asks, “Is Chelsea on?” the device will recognise that she watches a considerable amount of the TV show “Chelsea” on Netflix and does not mean the next Chelsea Football Club game. Again, the pay-TV provider already has this data; implementing it to the fullest would ensure the highest quality user experience for voice search, ultimately providing additional value to viewers.

Intent: When selecting a voice search platform, pay-TV providers must choose one that understands viewer intent when searching and can connect viewers with the desired content using natural language. The device must be able to infer what the user is talking about, as well as the type of search. For example, is the user looking for a TV show, a personality or a sports team? The device must also understand the end goal. For example, does the viewer want to play the latest episode, find where the game is, or record the show?

Essentially, the most critical element of voice search offerings for pay-TV providers is understanding viewers, their preferences, what they like to watch and what they don’t like to watch. It’s then about associating personalization with viewer intent, which should be an important part of pay-TV providers’ solutions.

EDUCATING USERS

According to TiVo’s “Q2 2017 Video Trends report,” which shows a breakdown of voice search types conducted by viewers from a major pay-TV provider, nearly 92 percent of all voice searches are for a particular show title or TV channel. However, only around 4 percent of searches use conversational searches, or requests for video content personalized to the end viewer, such as “What’s on TV tonight?”, “When is the Chelsea game on?”, or “Find me comedies.” This low usage level implies that there is a lack of education in the TV space, as viewers are likely unaware that they can do more with voice search on their TV than with their personal or home assistant devices. Indeed, they can pose much more complex, conversational queries. For example, “Show me some James Bond movies” and then following that up with “The ones with Roger Moore.”

TRUE PERSONALIZED SEARCH ENGINES

When personalization and intent are integrated into pay-TV providers’ voice search offerings, true personalized searches will become apparent. To make this a reality, pay-TV providers need to increase efforts to educate viewers on available options and clearly distinguish their service offerings from those of home assistant devices. This is similar to when content could be viewed on a mobile and/or streaming device; once pay-TV providers demonstrated to viewers what features are available, there was a considerable increase in multi-screen use for watching TV. Voice search usage in the TV space will likely lead down the same path.

This story originally appeared on TVT's sister publication TVB Europe.

SAN JOSE, CALIF.—Viewers will now have the ability to ask their TiVo devices what is on TV tonight with the new Personalized Content Discovery platform. The fully-integrated platform provides video operators with a suite of content discovery features that combine TiVo’s conversational voice search feature with personalized search and recommendations. There are also analytics capabilities that allow operators to conduct A/B testing to optimize operations in real time.

The new voice search function works with the personalized search to bring up the user’s top 10 television programs based on viewing behavior and interests in the instance of giving the command “What’s on TV tonight?” This comes at a time, according to TiVo, when Amazon Echo, Dot or Google Home owners are using voice assistants to help find something to watch on TV. The platform can also support contextual voice queries. This would allow users to narrow down results within a specific context.

The conversational search quality spans across all content catalogs available to consumers, including linear TV, video-on-demand, or OTT programming.

SAN CARLOS, CALIF.—The idea of a la carte Pay-TV offerings remains popular among consumers that took part in TiVo’s quarterly Video Trends Report, but the bill they’re willing to foot has taken a dive.

The latest Video Trends Report from TiVo covers Q4 2016, and in it 76.6 percent of respondents said they would like to only pay for the channels they watch, which is up 3 percentage points year-over-year. However, they want to lower the price that each individual channel would cost. The average price respondents wanted to pay per channel was $1.68/month, if that were to include the designated top 20 channels it would come out to $28.87, a 12.3 percent decrease quarter-over-quarter. TiVo’s report indicates that while the reason for this drop in desired price is unknown, the effect of OTT is a likely contributor.

Speaking of the top 20 channels, there is a new entrant into the top 10 most popular channels in a potential a la carte offering. While the major networks—ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox—still hold court along with Discovery Channel, History Channel, A&E, PBS and TNT, TBS was bounced from the top 10 in favor of FX. In addition, ESPN saw a drop in popularity, going from 44 percent of respondents wanting the network to 41.3 percent in Q4 2016.

Elsewhere in the report, the upward trend of TV Everywhere services continues. TiVo says that since 2012 it has seen a slow growth in the adoption of pay-TV providers’ TV Everywhere offerings, but there has been a more consistent growth over the last three quarters. In this most recent quarter, 49.1 percent of respondents said they are aware of their pay-TV providers’ app, the highest total since it has been recorded and a 2 percent growth since Q3 2016 (9.1 percent year-over-year). Similar trends occurred with app adoption and use, as 30.9 percent of respondents say they currently access the app and 61.5 percent use it on a weekly basis.

The TiVo survey is based on the answers of 3,100 respondents.

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SAN CARLOS, CALIF.—The chaotic finish to the 89th Academy Awards on Sunday kept viewers interested even as the broadcast rolled past midnight per TiVo’s Post-Show Report. The Best Picture mix-up between “La La Land” and winner “Moonlight” was shown to be the top moment of this year’s Oscars based on TiVo’s audience analytics.

Handing out the biggest prize of the night, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway first proclaimed that “La La Land” had won Best Picture. As the film’s producers and cast took the stage to accept the award and began making speeches, accountants from PwC came out and said that there had been a mistake, and moments later “La La Land” producer Jordan Horowitz announced that “Moonlight” had actually won.

The snafu occurred as there are always two versions of envelopes for each category, with PwC reps on each side of the stage to hand to presenters before they walk out to present the award. Beatty was handed the extra envelope for Best Actress, which had been given to Emma Stone of “La La Land” shortly before, rather than the one for Best Picture.

Beyond the confusing end of the ceremony, the other moments that rounded out TiVo’s top five included a couple of bits from host Jimmy Kimmel, including his jab at nominated director Mel Gibson and Matt Damon tripping him as he walked down the aisle (continuing their long-standing “rivalry”), Viola Davis win for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in “Fences,” and when Red Vines and Junior Mints were dropped on to audience with mini parachutes.

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SAN CARLOS, CALIF.—

Tivo unveiled its post-game report highlighting this year’s “most engaging commercials, promotions and in-game moments” from yesterday’s overtime comeback by the New England Patriots over the Atlanta Falcons.

Bai Brands ranked the highest overall in engagement with an appearance by Christopher Walken, who dramatically delivered the lyrics to “Bye Bye Bye” alongside Justin Timberlake, former member of the boy band that recorded the song.

The following are the top 10 commercials and promotions from the big game, according to TiVo:

1.

Bai Brands – BaiBaiBai

2.

Kia – Hero’s Journey

3.

It’s a 10 Haircare – It’s a 10 Haircare

4.

T-Mobile – Its All That and More

5.

Honda – Yearbooks

6.

Anheuser-Busch – Born the Hard Way

7.

Paramount – Transformers: The Last Knight

8.

General Motors —If That’s a Buick

9.

Disney – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

10.

Wonderful Company – Ernie Gets Physical

TiVo said it used second-by-second data and measurement tools to rank the top commercials from this year’s championship game, based on commercial retention compared to overall program viewership.

GAGA

For the seventh consecutive year, TiVo found viewership for the halftime show exceeding that of the overall game. Known for her over-the-top ensembles and electronic dance moves, Lady Gaga’s high-tech halftime performance was exceedingly well-received, generating

41,000 tweets per minute

. The pyrotechnic showcase ended with this year’s top moment of the broadcast including a theatric mic drop and jump off the stage. Based on data from the last nine years, this year’s halftime show ranked third right behind 2012’s performance by Madonna and 2015’s halftime show featuring Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz.

TOP MOMENTS

The most engaging in-game moments all took place within the last 30 minutes of the game: (1) At second and goal from the 2-yard line in overtime, Brady tosses the ball to James White, who scores a touchdown for the Patriots’ victory. (2) With three seconds left in regulation time, Brady hands off to Dion Lewis, who goes out of bounds at the New England 48-yard line, leading to the first overtime in NFL championship history. (3) At the 1-yard line, Brady hands off to James White, who crosses the goal line for a touchdown. After the 2-point conversion, the game is tied at 28-28 with less than a minute remaining in the game.

TIVO METRICS

TiVo’s analysis was prepared using aggregated, anonymous, live + same-day second-by-second audience measurement data from Tivo households. TiVo gauges the interest in programming content by measuring the percentage of the TiVo audience watching or re-watching any given moment in the programming. The most engaging ads and promotions are determined by looking for spots with the biggest bump in viewership relative to the surrounding 15 minutes of programming.

SAN CARLOS, CALIF. & SAN JOSE, CALIF.—The Rovi Corporation has announced that it will acquire TiVo for $10.70 per share, or approximately $1.1 billion. The two companies will now combine with Rovi CEO Tom Carson keeping his position and Rovi adopting the TiVo company name.

Rovi and TiVo serve pay-TV operators both in the U.S. and abroad. The combination of the two companies is hoped to enhance global reach, reportedly adding 10 million TiVo households to Rovi’s current base of 18 million. The new company will operate in the consumer, consumer electronic, service provider and web-scale marketplaces.

In addition TiVo’s cross-device viewership data is expected to merge with Rovi’s analytics tools for targeting of media spending, advertising inventory yield and the creation of targeted advertising capabilities, according to Rovi.

The boards of both Rovi and TiVo have approved the transaction. TiVo and Rovi stockholders will look to approve the merger at special meetings. The companies expect the transaction to become fully approved in the third quarter of 2016.

“The combined capabilities of TiVo and Rovi place us in a tremendous position to extend services across platforms and to a customer base that includes traditional, over-the-top and emerging players across the globe,” said Carson in Rovi’s press release.

MEANWHILE— This happened. Google’s top ad executive said ad-blocking technology is making life hard for businesses that rely on ad revenue. This is according to Mark Bergen at re/code, who quoted Google’s Sridhar Ramaswamy saying, “The real problem is that ad blockers throw out the baby with the bathwater. They make monetization impossible for a whole slew of people.”

This caused alert readers in the broadcast TV community to sit up like Scooby Doo at snack time.

“Shoe’s now on the other foot,” one wrote.

“This is a good story,” said another.

It would seem so from the perspective of an industry that’s enriched attorneys nationwide to fight ad-blocking technology. It took three years and the combined litigatory firepower of News Corp., Comcast and CBS Corp. to bring their case against the ad-skipping Dish Hopper to a draw this past January.

But that was different. That wasn’t Google. It was broadcasters who stood to lose ad revenue, and let’s be real. Google is cool. Broadcast is not, thanks in large part to the relentless spin campaign in Washington, D.C. to replace over-the-air TV with a paid-access model.

Broadcasters, led by Fox, were slammed for fighting the Hopper in court.

“Ordinary consumers are in its crosshairs,” a D.C. think tank supported by consumer electronics industry said, “while Fox demands technological stagnation from innovators.”

The “innovator” in this case was a quasi-competitive entity—Dish—with which all the broadcast plaintiffs had retransmission contracts. It was no accident that Dish’s Hopper DVR could be programmed to “AutoHop” commercials on the Big Four broadcast networks during primetime, exclusively.

It would be like every TV station across the country carrying ads encouraging Dish customers to “cut the cord” and offering free antennas. Or better yet, tucking the message into every one of their scripted shows in a product-placement kind of way. (To punk ad-skipping technology, if that wasn’t implied.)

The dust-up never got quite that ugly. The judge in the Hopper case ruled that Dish’s use of the technology violated its contracts with the plaintiffs. However, and more importantly, she ruled that it did not violate copyright law.

Copyright law lets content creators decide—within limits—what can and cannot be done with their content. It is the last bastion for content-derived revenue, and about as effective in digital media as an umbrella in a typhoon.

This was true even before the Dish Hopper decision, which left the door open for another dog to get loose: TiVo’s Bolt. Unveiled this week, the Bolt has a “SkipMode” feature that automatically cuts the commercials out of “the top 20 most-watched networks,” from 4 p.m. to midnight, and “12:30 a.m. for late night talk shows airing on ABC, NBC and CBS,” according to TiVo.

The list of 20 currently includes ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, The CW, AMC, Comedy Central, Discovery, TBS, FX, TLC, History, TNT, Food Network, USA, Bravo, ABC, Family, SyFy, Lifetime and HGTV. It will be interesting to see how non-broadcast nets handle the sitch.

It may be worth remembering how TiVo pioneered the ad-skipping phenomenon long before now, and it arguably helped fuel the rise of serialized shows with non-union actors dropped naked into the wilderness with a stranger, or whisked away to an Irish castle to marry a stranger, or starved alongside other strangers by genetically blessed emotional sadists.

By the time these types of contrived reality shows can be recorded, the entire narrative has circulated through social media in eight languages.

Google’s ad-blocking dilemma is more complicated. No one has to watch a commercial on TV, whether or not they have a DVR that skips it for them. Americans have a long tradition of visiting the reading room or grabbing a sandwich when the loud mattress guy comes on.

You can’t get away from online ads. If you want to look up the meaning of a word, for example, you’ll likely be treated to a grossly expanding naked cartoon belly in your peripheral vision. Don’t even think about looking up a skin disease. Elsewhere, a story about a mass shooting is as likely to be surrounded by soft porn ads as a story about actual soft porn, because vulgarity is click bait. Then there are pop-ups. Dreaded, hateful pop-ups. And Flash ads, downloading on the page like dial-up in 1995.

Yet none of these things motivated the Google ad man to consider the sanctity of the “user experience” like the ad-blocking apps that shot to the top of the charts the day after Apple enabled them on iOS 9.

That’s when Mr. Ramaswamy noticed a problem. Again, as quoted by re/code:

“I think it’s going to be difficult for us to agree as an industry, but it’s one of those cases where not agreeing is actually going to lead to a much worse outcome for all of us.”

Hmm….

Let’s see how that goes.

SAN JOSE, CALIF. – TiVo is getting in on the streaming game, announcing that users can now stream recorded shows to Apple TV through AirPlay. With the updated TiVo iOS app, recorded content from TiVo Roamio or Premiere DVRs can now play on an Apple TV through an iOS device connected on the same network.

The content can be streamed to Apple TV by enabling AirPlay through the iOS control center, selecting Apple TV from the menu and then hitting the “mirroring” button, providing users with a multi-screen experience.

TiVo’s latest version of its iOS app, featuring the AirPlay feature, is now available in the App Store for free.