Comcast confirmed Wednesday that the MSO has completed the integration of its Xfinity On Demand service with certain retail-bought TiVo DVRs in all Comcast markets.
Completion of that integration has been expected. After putting that plan on pause last year, TiVo announced in February that it and Comcast had since resumed that work and expected to wrap up the deployment in all Comcast markets, including leftover such as Chicago, Atlanta and Houston, as early as June 30, 2014. A Comcast official said all markets are on board as of today (July 9).
The integration enables TiVo devices purchased at retail by Comcast customers to access and stream the MSO’s massive VOD library, including its Streampix catalog. Integration of Comcast’s VOD service is currently limited to TiVo Premiere hardware as well as its newer Roamio models. Those devices can also access Comcast’s live TV lineup, so long as they are paired with a CableCARD security module.
In February, TiVo president and CEO Tom Rogers said TiVo has performed well at retail in the Comcast markets where it’s been integrated with the MSO’s VOD platform. He likewise viewed Comcast’s proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable as a positive because it offers “further opportunity” for TiVo to expand its VOD connection to Comcast in more key markets.
TiVo and Cox Communications are working on a similar plan to integrate Cox’s VOD service with retail-bought TiVo boxes. In that scenario, Cox is looking to deliver VOD content to retail TiVo devices via IP – the same way it’s delivering VOD to its “Contour” app for tablets.
Beyond those retail-focused partnerships with Comcast and Cox, TiVo also has more direct, lease-based partnerships with several other U.S. cable operators, including RCN, Suddenlink Communications, Grande Communications, Mediacom Communications, GCI, Atlantic Broadband, Midcontinent Communications, Vyve Broadband and Wave Division Holdings, among others. A growing number of those partners also support Netflix in TiVo-powered boxes that they lease to subscribers.
TiVo ended the first quarter of 2014 with about 4.5 million subscribers, with 3.58 million coming way of its MSO partnerships, and 957,000 TiVo-owned subs. TiVo is also expanding its relationship with MVPDs via its recent $135 million acquisition of search and recommendations firm Digitalsmiths.
