Gemstar-TV Guide International made nice with TiVo and paid for the right to deploy the company's technology around the world.
The magazine publisher and programming data reseller didn't say which countries' set top boxes it plans to colonize in TiVo's name, but TiVo already has distribution deals in Australia, Taiwan, Mexico, Canada (those last two are actually already the distribution territory of Gemstar-TV Guide). That leaves Europe and most of Asia ripe for Gemstar-TV Guide's invasion.
The patents Gemstar-TV Guide licensed from TiVo cover actual set-top
boxes as well as software, so foreign countries could see TiVo guts
stuffed into a different manufacturer's box, depending on how the
company works deals with cable and satellite companies in those
countries.
How much did Gemstar-TV Guide pay to be the harbinger of
good design and effortless commercial-skipping to the rest of the
world? Nobody's telling. But TiVo vice president and general manager
for international Joshua Danovitz did say this in a press release:
“International interest in TiVo is at an all-time high as retailers and
service providers globally seek to deliver the TiVo service as a way to
differentiate their video products.” —Rachel Rosmarin
BusinessWire
