TiVo puts $27.5M Cubiware buy to use, targets MSOs with 'TiVo Lite'

Expanding its offerings for its burgeoning MSO market, TiVo has introduced a new platform for low-end, non-DVR set-tops, TiVo Lite.

The new platform uses middleware from Cubiware, which TiVo purchased for $27.5 million last spring. It also leverages search, recommendation and analytics technologies from DigitalSmiths, another recent TiVo acquisition. 

The product is being targeted to cable operators as a low-cost solution for porting TiVo's advanced video system to customers who don't have advanced set-tops (DVR capability, etc.). 

MSO's have the option of combining TiVo Lite set-top clients with TiVo's iOS and Android mobile apps, supporting TV Everywhere viewing both inside and outside the home.

"TiVo Lite provides many of the core elements of TiVo's award-winning search and navigation experience," said Jakub Gorski, Cubiware co-founder. "Now, by combining our solutions with a significantly lower cost of implementation and localization we are able to deliver a fast time-to-market for new deployments and even upgrades of previously deployed operator set-top-boxes."

The announcement was made from the IBC trade show in Amsterdam. 

TiVo added another 284,000 customers through MSO relationships in the second quarter, and the Menlo Park, Calif., DVR and video interface company is poised to grow its cable operator business even more.

Earlier this week, TiVo announced an agreement to provide its user interface to the more than 850 smaller cable operators represented by the National Cable Television Cooperative. TiVo Lite will offer the tech company even more flexibility is it looks to secure deals with the individual operators. 

For more:
- read this TiVo press release

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