It seems TiVo thinks it has come up with the secret sauce to build an Aereo type product that can't be sued. And while the Multichannel article couldn't divulge just how it can be done, TiVo syas that it will share more later this Summer.
Certainly, TiVo has already found some success working with smaller cable operators as an alternative cable box and OTT aggregator. And the TiVo platform can also work in the home with a personal digital antenna connected to their device. One can only wonder how they can deliver an Aereo type product without hurting some of the cable operator partnerships they have already created. Of course the challenge for TiVo is that it needs a broadband provider to capture non OTA (Over The Air) signals and to share content with wired and WIFI devices.
Broadband access is limited in a community. One can get either from their franchised cable operator, from their telephone provider who can offer DSL service or from a cellular provider. It is that limited competitive arena that eventually killed the Comcast Time Warner Cable deal. TiVo's best strategy has always been to be the better cable box for cable operators willing to share their pipes with both cable programming and OTT programming. As a stand alone strategy, customers seeking to cut the cord completely can access OTT programming through a number of other boxes like Rovi, Apple TV, Chromecast, Playstation and others. A more crowded field that TiVo may find less upside.
Is there an Aereo type strategy that TiVo can deliver? I guess we will have to wait and see.
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