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–Unveils "TiVo Guru Guide" Programming Recommendations Service
–Signs Deal to Distribute Brightcove-Published Video to Series2 Boxes
–Signs "Multi-Million Dollar" Advertising Agreement with Interpublic
–Launches Interactive Ad for Lexus

DVR vendor/service provider, TiVo, has announced a number of new services and deals for its platform in the past two weeks:

• The company has announced plans to launch, in the next few weeks, a programming recommendations service called "TiVo Guru Guide." (Note: Guru Guide is the latest in a series of original services that TiVo has launched in recent months, in order to differentiate its platform from the generic DVR platforms offered by US cable and satellite operators; the other services include "TiVo KidZone" and "TiVo Mobile"–see [itvt] Issue 6.62 Part 3.) The service will provide TiVo customers with recommendations from editorial experts ("gurus") who write for such media outlets as Entertainment Weekly, Star, Sports Illustrated, Automobile, Billboard and CNET. Recommendations will organized into popular TV categories, such as sports, films, music, comedies and drama. According to TiVo, each Guru Guide recommendation will contain five to 10 TV programs per week (thus creating a "virtual television channel," TiVo says), and recommendations will be updated at least once a month. TiVo customers will be able to use the platform’s online scheduling feature to automatically record all the programs in a Guru Guide recommendation, and, of course, will also be able to pick individual programs from a given recommendation based on their personal interests. In a prepared statement, Paul Fichtenbaum, managing editor of Sports Illustrated’s Web site, SI.com, described the kind of programming that might be recommended by his publication’s Guru Guide: "Sports Illustrated’s Guru Guide will provide viewers with recommendations compiled by our editorial team which will feature an interesting mix of television programming–everything from the best match-ups of the week, to the history of rugby, to the impact of exercise on childhood obesity."
• The company has signed an agreement with broadband video distribution specialist, Brightcove, that will enable video published through Brightcove’s service to be distributed directly to broadband-connected TiVo Series2 DVR’s. TiVo subscribers will be able to access the content directly through the TiVo service’s TiVo Central content management area. According to the companies, TiVo and Brightcove will phase in a number of content partners (while the companies have not specified the content partners, Brightcove has deals in place with, among others, Barrio 305, Discovery, MTV, The N, National Lampoon, Reuters and The New York Times) and new downloading capabilities going forward: they claim their partnership will make it possible for almost any individual or company publishing broadband video using Brightcove’s service to distribute that video to TiVo subscribers. In addition, they say, the deal "opens the possibility" of monetizing that content through advertising, subscription or pay-per- view. At launch, however, all content will be offered free to TiVo subscribers, though it may carry advertising, the companies say. "The Brightcove partnership will further empower consumers by allowing TiVo subscribers to find broadband video content via their TiVo or PC and send that content directly to their TiVo box where they can view it whenever they choose," Brightcove founder and CEO, Jeremy Allaire, said in a prepared statement. "TiVo subscribers will gain access to the largest, most powerful content platform ever offered–the Internet. If it’s on Brightcove, you’ll be able to watch it on your TV using your TiVo box."
• The company has signed what it describes as a "multi-million dollar" upfront advertising agreement with Interpublic Media, the business unit that oversees the media services operations of the Interpublic Group of Companies (companies in the group include Initiative, MAGNA Global, Universal McCann, and various specialist media agencies). According to TiVo, the deal will see it providing preferred pricing for interactive and on-demand advertising on its platform to Interpublic Media clients, and will see Interpublic Media contributing to the development of new TiVo interactive advertising products. "TiVo is pleased to have Interpublic Media as the first major advertising holding company to sign an upfront deal," TiVo president and CEO, Tom Rogers, said in a prepared statement. "This agreement further validates our commitment to the advertising industry and presents an opportunity for all of Interpublic’s clients to leverage TiVo’s DVR advertising to reach an attractive demographic. TiVo offers an interactive advertising solution that enables the consumer to pause television and engage in a branded advertising experience, without missing even a second of the TV show a viewer is watching. We are excited to expand our long-standing relationship with Interpublic and look forward to capitalizing on their intellectual capital, experience and relationships in the future." The agreement was handled for Interpublic Media by its recently launched Emerging Media Lab, which is designed to provide Interpublic clients with a better understanding of new developments in emerging media. (Note: TiVo recently announced a new advertising service called "TiVo Product Watch." For more on the latter, see [itvt] Issue 6.72 Part 2.)
• The company has unveiled the first custom interactive application associated with a TiVo Showcase (note: TiVo Showcases are long-format, on-demand commercials that are stored on a special, dedicated area of the TiVo DVR’s hard drive.) Dubbed the "Lexus Car Configuration Tool," the app allows TiVo subscribers with a broadband-connected TiVo Series2 DVR to customize an image of the 2007 Lexus ES 350, access information about the new model, view a photo slideshow, locate the Lexus dealer closest to their home, and schedule a test drive. "Delivering the first advertiser custom application on TiVo boxes allows us to further our lead in the industry in providing interactive and integrated advertising solutions through the television," Davina Kent, TiVo’s VP of national advertising sales, said in a prepared statement. "TiVo is committed to developing products and partnering with innovative advertisers to deliver relevant, interactive advertising that enhances the overall entertainment experience for TiVo subscribers."

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