By Kevin W. FitzMaurice E-Commerce Times
08/09/04 12:36 PM PT
"Breaking the $100 threshold and expanding our distribution footprint now puts TiVo within reach of many more consumers," Brodie Keast, general manager of the TiVo service, said about the growth strategy. The lower prices -- which will be in effect through September 30
eMarketer Whitepaper: Optimizing the E-Commerce Experience
From the Web to the Contact Center, are you prepared to proactively engage and keep your savvy customers? Read how e-commerce leaders are optimizing their sites with ratings, reviews, live help, Web analytics, mobile and more.
Home entertainment pioneer TiVo (Nasdaq: TIVO) today announced it will be dropping the cost of its basic digital video recorder to $99 and will expand distribution of its products to three more major retailers.
The Alviso, California-based company also announced a redesign of its TiVo box and a rewards program for subscribers who refer new customers.
Collectively, the elements of this growth initiative are expected to fuel the most aggressive subscriber growth period in the TiVo's history, the company said in a statement it released.
"Breaking the $100 threshold and expanding our distribution footprint now puts TiVo within reach of many more consumers," Brodie Keast, general manager of the TiVo service, said about the growth strategy.
Mail-in Rebate
The lower prices -- which will be in effect through September 30 -- and expansion of sales to Sam's Club, CompUSA, Target.com, Fry's Electronics and Costco in key retail markets and Costco.com are scheduled to be in effect as of Wednesday, the company said.
The new, lower prices will be realized by consumers after receiving a mail-in rebate.
The $99 will be for TiVo's introductory, 40-hour model, after a $100 rebate, with service activation before October 31.
The rebate also will apply to, and lower, the cost for all other TiVo boxes. It will bring the price of an 80-hour model to $199 and the 140-hour model to $299.
The monthly fee for TiVo service is $12.95 for the first unit installed in a home and $6.95 for each subsequent unit.
Points for Upgrades
The rewards program is designed to encourage existing subscribers to refer new customers. Existing subscribers will earn points whenever they refer someone who purchases a TiVo box and activates the service.
As part of the rewards program, TiVo also announced it has partnered with Juniper Bank to offer a TiVo-branded Platinum MasterCard.
TiVo Points earned through referrals or purchases on the new credit card can be redeemed for TiVo service upgrades, merchandise, accessories, TiVo boxes, an Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPod, Nikon digital cameras, Bose QuietComfort headphones and more.
The initiatives bring to fruition a plan TiVo unveiled in March.
Service Offerings
The TiVo service works with any television setup to automatically find and digitally record up to 140 hours of the programming that interests the subscriber. It also allows for pausing, rewinding and slow-motion live TV.
Founded in 1997, TiVo created a new category of products with the development of the first digital video recorder (DVR).
Glitches Might Delay Google IPO August 09, 2004
'Given the lack of institutional bankers lining up demand in advance, it is just impossible to tell what demand will be,' said Barry Nalebuff of Yale. 'I think the delay will be bad. There is the chance that this whole thing will boil over and people will start to feel it's all hype.'
Related Stories
FCC Allows TiVo Internet Technology To Proceed August 05, 2004
The FCC determined that TiVo's digital broadcast television content should be protected, but that protection should still enable it to be accessed over the Internet so long as that access does not lead to mass indiscriminate redistribution of programs over the Internet.
FCC Gives OK to TiVo Tech August 05, 2004
TiVo, one of the initial creators of television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), announced yesterday that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has certified TiVo's technology protection of digital broadcast television.
TiVo Techology Gets Nod From FCC August 04, 2004
According to TiVo, the FCC certification will provide the company with the opportunity to develop technologies that provide consumers more ways to enjoy digital content. "TiVo has always tried to maintain an appropriate balance between consumer interests and the rights of content providers," TiVo CEO Mike Ramsay said.
Google Launches Program To Help Web Sites Get Indexed June 03, 2005
The Google Sitemaps program does not replace the crawl technology the search engine company currently uses to find Web content; it is designed to enhance it. Also, using Sitemaps will neither guarantee that a Web site will be included in the index nor will it have any effect on how sites are ranked on results pages, Google said.
Yahoo Adds Local Traffic Information to Map Service December 16, 2004
The traffic information is the latest step by Yahoo to add to its local content. It comes following online portal competitor Google's recent acquisition of Keyhold Corp., which provides satellite maps -- although not of live, current conditions -- that users can zoom in on to view buildings and even cars on the street.
ISPs File Latest Barrage of Anti-Spam Lawsuits October 28, 2004
Earthlink filed a federal lawsuit in Atlanta, Georgia, accusing 50 "John Does" of violating the federal CAN-SPAM Act and various other state and federal statutes, including the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the Georgia Computer Systems Protection Act and state and federal racketeering laws.
Headline Feeds
Talkback: 
