TiVo hopes to raise the stakes in its battle with cable and satellite digital video recorders (DVRs) by introducing a suite of broadband-related services that enable many subscribers to use their TVs to buy movie tickets, share photos, check local weather and traffic, listen to radio podcasts and play games.
The DVR pioneer is teaming with movie-ticketing service Fandango, Yahoo and programming service Live365. The three will offer interactive TV versions of their offerings to people with home networks connected to TiVo's most popular stand-alone DVR.
"It's a different kind of offering," says CEO Tom Rogers. "The core reason someone buys TiVo is to be sure there's always something good on TV. It's become clear, though, that people are also looking at TiVo as something more than a DVR, something that manages digital media in the home."
The company says it isn't simply putting Web pages on TV. The services look like other TiVo functions, and, like them, are operated using the remote. "The number of remote control clicks is minimized," says Jim Denney, vice president of product marketing. "And it has a TiVo feel to it."
The DVR pioneer is teaming with movie-ticketing service Fandango, Yahoo and programming service Live365. The three will offer interactive TV versions of their offerings to people with home networks connected to TiVo's most popular stand-alone DVR.
"It's a different kind of offering," says CEO Tom Rogers. "The core reason someone buys TiVo is to be sure there's always something good on TV. It's become clear, though, that people are also looking at TiVo as something more than a DVR, something that manages digital media in the home."
The company says it isn't simply putting Web pages on TV. The services look like other TiVo functions, and, like them, are operated using the remote. "The number of remote control clicks is minimized," says Jim Denney, vice president of product marketing. "And it has a TiVo feel to it."