Tivo's Future: Google, Yahoo?
Rumours about that Tivo is begging…er, I mean talking with Google and Yahoo about being acquired. It's a fascinating scenario but I'm not sure how it would actually work. Google has its video beta, which lets people search for TV show information but does not let you play them yet. Would Google integrate its search technology into Tivo and create a future platform for online video-on-demand or online TV-on-demand? Does Google really want to get into the monthly subscription business where it has to beg, borrow and steal to get cablecos to use Tivo? Is the Google brand so powerful that it can resuscitate Tivo? As for Yahoo, CEO Terry Semel has deep Hollywood roots so a move into the TV business wouldn't be a big personal strategic stretch? Yahoo has also strong ties to the advertising community, it's been agggressively moving into the premium subscription business, and it's focused on the high-speed market through partnerships with ISPs such as SBC and Rogers. This means there could be plenty of synergies (as much as I hate that word) between Tivo and Yahoo's various parts.
At the end of the day, it's inevitable Tivo will be taken out of its misery. It just depends who does it. Where there's smoke, there's usally fire so perhaps this is a sign the time is coming soon.
