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Comcast
and TiVo Announce Strategic Partnership
Multi-Year
Agreement to Make the TiVo Service Available to Comcast Customers
PHILADELPHIA, and ALVISO, Calif., March 15 /PRNewswire/ --
Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) (NASDAQ:CMCSK) , the nation's leading
provider of cable, entertainment and communications products
and services, and TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ:TIVO) , the creator of
and a leader in television services for digital video recorders
(DVRs), today announced that the companies have reached an
agreement to make the TiVo(R) service and advertising capability
widely available to Comcast customers in the majority of its
markets around the country.
Under the terms of the agreement, Comcast and TiVo will work
together to develop a version of the TiVo service that will
be made available on Comcast's current primary DVR platform.
New software will be developed by TiVo and will be incorporated
into Comcast's existing network platforms. The new service
will be marketed with the TiVo brand, and is expected to be
available on Comcast's DVR products in a majority of Comcast
markets in mid-to-late 2006.
This long-term, non-exclusive partnership will provide millions
of Comcast customers with the opportunity to choose the TiVo
service, including TiVo's award-winning user interface and
features like Season Pass(TM) and WishList(TM), as an additional
option. In addition, the service will showcase TiVo's home
networking, multimedia, and broadband capabilities.
We are focused on providing our customers with a 21st Century
television experience. TiVo has revolutionized the way consumers
watch and access home entertainment. By partnering with TiVo,
we are continuing to deliver technology that enables our customers
to watch what they want when they want on TV. This agreement
also reflects our commitment to work with leading technology
providers to offer customers more value and choice in their
home entertainment experience," said Brian Roberts, Chairman
and CEO, Comcast Corporation. "Customers love the ease and
convenience of our current DVR service, and we look forward
to working with TiVo to enhance that service and offer customers
the best-in-class DVR experience."
"We are very excited that we will be able to offer TiVo to
our customers along with our Video On Demand, High Definition
and other premium services that add such great entertainment
value. The strong TiVo brand, the clear track record of customer
loyalty it has and its cutting edge features make this a terrific
partnership and exciting new product for Comcast," added Steve
Burke, president of Comcast Cable and COO of Comcast.
"The chance to combine TiVo's unmatched DVR features and
innovative advertising capabilities with the power of Comcast's
advanced digital television services presents tremendous opportunities,"
said Mike Ramsay, Chairman and CEO of TiVo. "Broad deployment
to millions of Comcast homes nationwide will enhance TiVo's
recurring revenues. Together, both companies will work to
offer customers the best and most convenient premium television
service."
"It is very important that TiVo has found a way to work with
the nation's largest cable operator on a cooperative basis
to develop a state-of-the-art TiVo Service, fully integrated
with a cable set-top box, that will make TiVo available to
millions of cable viewers. By making TiVo available, Comcast
once again shows that it is leading the way in providing advanced
digital services, such as video-on-demand, to television viewers.
This is a real milestone for TiVo and for the cable industry,
but most importantly it is a milestone for television viewers,"
said Tom Rogers, vice chairman of TiVo.
As an extension of the relationship, TiVo and Comcast will
make TiVo's interactive advertising platform available across
Comcast's customer base without interrupting the award-winning
TiVo subscriber experience.
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