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TiVo CEO Reveals Connectivity Plans

Jan 7, 2005  •  Post A Comment

In an effort to keep TiVo relevant, CEO Mike Ramsay detailed the company’s plans to evolve TiVo into a personal entertainment hub by allowing the device to connect via broadband to the Internet, essentially enabling broadband connectivity in the living room. That means TiVo users would be able to search, access and view content from the Internet on their TVs using the familiar TiVo guide functionality.

“I believe Internet television will ultimately replace broadcast television,” Mr. Ramsay said, speaking Friday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

“TV distribution is limited. By using the Internet for distribution it is unlimited distribution. … The universe of content is enormous, much larger than the universe defined by the studios and MSOs,” he said.

Practically speaking, that means a consumer could download a movie from the Internet and watch it on TV using TiVo.

Mr. Ramsay said the new capabilities will be delivered over the year to TiVo’s existing subscriber base. “[This is] the next generation of TiVo. Watch TV on their time. Listen to the music they want. Enjoy vacation photos in the living room and … watch advertisements for products they are interested in. They want help in navigating the mountain of content … on one box, one remote control and one service that makes it all

happen.”

TiVo needs to reinvent itself because cable operators continue to introduce DVRs built into the cable set-top box and because TiVo’s relationship with DirecTV is ending. At CES, DirecTV said it will launch a line of DirecTV-branded DVRs, effectively ending its exclusivity with TiVo that had contributed 2 million of TiVo’s 3 million subscribers.