TiVo today announced the launch of TiVoCast, a new service that will deliver broadband video to the television sets of TiVo subscribers. TiVo also said it had reached new agreements with leading video content providers, including the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the New York Times, Heavy.com, iVillage, CNET and Rocketboom. TiVo and its partners will have the ability to integrate advertising with the content.
"The range and quality of broadband video is exploding on the web, but it's not TV until it is on the TV," said Tom Rogers, CEO of TiVo, adding, "we are once again transforming the television experience by bringing the…video content on the internet into the living room."
TiVo subscribers will be able to find the new content via the Showcases area on TiVo Central, TiVo's main menu. The content will be offered free of charge to subscribers using TiVo Series2 DVRs connected via broadband.
"The TiVoCast service provides niche networks and broadband content suppliers, for which the economics of television distribution might not make sense, a way to connect with audiences in the living room via their favorite medium for watching video, TV and TiVo," said Tara Maitra, TiVo's vice-president and general manager of programming.
The video content will also include Danger Rangers; H2O: HipHop on Demand; Union on Demand action sports film network; and Here! original movies and series aimed at gay and lesbian audiences.
