TiVo said it has locked up a deal to offer its whole-home and multiscreen platform to the more than 805 small- and mid-sized cable and telco members of the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC).
Financial terms weren’t disclosed, but the deal will allow NCTC members to get “cost-efficient access” to TiVo-powered products and services. The partnership includes access to multiple device providers that offer the TiVo platform, including TiVo itself, Pace, Evolution Digital (digital transport adapters), and TiVo “soft clients.”
NCTC noted that it’s investing in a common back office integration platform that will connect with multiple billing systems as well as TV Everywhere authentication platforms.
“This is a key enabler of the TiVo deal and could also support future IP video and OTT solutions,” Rich Fickle, NCTC’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “We are excited to work with TiVo and believe our members are now better positioned to address a growing array of options for receiving television content."
Rollout will commence by end of year with new features and platforms to follow in early 2016, TiVo and NCTC said.
The agreement should help TiVo push further into the tier 2/3 MVPD world, and expand on deals it has in place with operators such as Suddenlink Communications, Mediacom Communications, RCN, Grande Communications, WideOpenWest, GCI, and Atlantic Broadband, among others.
TiVo ended its fiscal first quarter with 4.81 million subs through MSO deals, and 944,000 TiVo-owned subs. It reports fiscal second quarter results later today.
"This is a remarkable agreement for TiVo and the Pay-TV industry in which an influential alliance has embraced a single, shared platform for the delivery of advanced TV services," Ryan Perry, TiVo's VP of business development, said in a statement. "With this partnership, the NCTC has taken a consolidated, efficient approach to harnessing innovation by making TiVo a top choice for its member operators."
"We are committed to providing our members access to the technology and products that give them a cost effective approach to deliver technology-rich TV experiences," Fickle added. "Collaborating with TiVo gives NCTC members access to an advanced TV offering with best-in-class multiscreen capabilities, OTT integration, and a personalized user experience.”
