TiVo Taps Brightcove For Broadband Content

TiVo Taps Brightcove For Broadband Content

by Gavin O'Malley, Thursday, May 11, 2006 6:00 AM EST

TIVO SUBSCRIBERS WILL SOON BE offered niche broadband video from Web TV startup Brightcove, the companies said Wednesday. The broadband video will be available to subscribers at no additional charge, but the companies haven't yet said exactly what programming will be available--other than that it will be different from what viewers can find on TV today. Financial terms were not disclosed. "You can expect content from new brands and specialty video," said Tara Maitra, vice president and general manager of content services at TiVo. Maitra said TiVo subscribers will be able to fast-forward through any broadband content they receive. "There will be the same functionality here for broadband video as there is for everything else." Brightcove's network of content publishers presently includes Dow Jones & Co., Oxygen Network, Hearst Corp.'s SmartMoney title, and The New York Times Co.--which includes video clips from About.com. Executives from both Brightcove and TiVo said it was likely that TiVo would offer content from Brightcove's network, but neither company would elaborate. Maitra did say, however, that TiVo is not limiting itself to one content provider. "TiVo has a whole strategy of bringing broadband video to subscribers from many different sources beyond Brightcove." One existing broadband deal for TiVo is with the digital technology publisher CNET. CNET, it was announced in April, will offer TiVo subscribers a range of content--including gadget reviews, news reports, trend stories, and user-generated video. The deal comes upon increasing pressure on TiVo to expand beyond standard DVR capabilities--now a near-ubiquitous service offered by most cable and satellite providers. Founded by Internet pioneer Jeremy Allaire in 2004, the Cambridge, Mass.-based Brightcove has aggressively recruited a management team of experienced media executives, including hires from Allaire, Macromedia, ATG, Comcast, Lycos, and News Corp. In November, the company announced the hiring of Adam Gerber, formerly head of new media strategy for MediaVest and tier-one clients like Coca-Cola Co. and Procter & Gamble.