TiVo is putting the assets it acquired in February from defunct streaming service Aereo to good use, marketing its over-the-air DVR directly to former Aereo subscribers.
Using a list of nearly 80,000 former Aereo customers it obtained in a bankruptcy auction back in February, TiVo is pitching its Roamio OTA DVR and TiVo Stream, which are designed to record broadcast station programming and then stream those recordings to mobile devices, sans pay-TV subscription. (The come-on was first reported by blogger David Zatz, who obtained a copy of the targeted ad.)
"As an Aereo customer, we wanted to give you some great news," the ad reads. "You can once again record your favorite broadcast networks and enjoy DVR capabilities--without having to be a cable or satellite subscriber."
TiVo is offering the Roamio DVR (MSRP: $49.99) and the TiVo Stream device ($129.99) and its monthly service (regularly $15.99 with a one-year commitment) to former Aereo subs for just $19.99 a month, with a two-year commitment, no money down for the hardware.
In February, TiVo paid about $1 million to acquire Aereo's trademark, its customer list and assorted other assets.
The DVR company has forged successful relationships with MSOs--its boxes are in 5.5 million cable homes as of the end of 2014. Of course, the aggressive deployment of the Roamio OTA suggests TiVo is effectively hedging its bets on the pay-TV market.
For more:
- read this Zatz Not Funny blog post
Special Report: Aereo's Supreme Court loss and the fallout: full coverage
Related links:
TiVo reports 40% rise in MSO subs, but cord-cutting Roamio OTA sales drive revenue
Aereo auctions off most of remaining assets to TiVo, nets only $2M
Frontier to enable cord cutters, market TiVo's Roamio OTA