So the literal words starting the title of the StartupMeMe article “Help!” summed up TIVO’s plea not just to YouTube, but to the entire DVR community to give them another chance. Of course TIVO has been having no end of troubles recently. Even the CEO recently said there will be a demise in Network TV, which isn’t exactly helping Tivo’s business model of recording these TV programs, and to be honest we all know that Web video is going to overtake Network TV within the next 12 months.
It’s very easy to see why Tivo did this partnership, not least of all to get into the Apple TV market which is beginning to show great promise. But there is a distinct difference between the two companies not least of all the amount of content Apple has in the iTunes store.
If Tivo believes the content network of illegal uploaded video clips from YouTube is going to hold out then they have another thing coming. We all know unfortunately that YouTube will lose its market share soon when Viacom wins the court case against them; many people have always said that YouTube is only successful because of its copyrighted content.
Granted YouTube is trying to implement measures to prevent copyright infringement. But its lack of desire to drive creativity among users has helped toward its demise. Google knows it. The search giant knew it back when it bought the video site in 2006. Now Tivo is trying to use this content to bolster its shoddy devices with this content!
But why must Tivo attack a market they won’t beat? Its dominance in time-shifted TV is over and it needs to realize that!
