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International Entertainment News

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Seven and TiVo Inc. Sign Strategic Partnership to Distribute TiVo Products and Services in Australia and New Zealand

Seven and TiVo Inc. Sign Strategic Partnership to Distribute TiVo Products and Services in Australia and New Zealand

TiVo to be key platform in Australia's development of digital television and interactive communications

ALVISO, Calif. and SYDNEY, Australia, May 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Seven Media Group, one of Australia's leading integrated media companies, and TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ:TIVO) , the creator of and a leader in digital video recorders, today announced that Seven will be bringing TiVo to Australia in 2008.

Under the mutually-exclusive agreement, Seven Media Group will lead the creation of the digital platform to enable TiVo's digital video recorder and service, including the award-winning TiVo user interface. The platform will be available for use by other broadcasters and broadband content owners to create a compelling, interactive, free to air digital terrestrial television offering. The TiVo(R) Service will be available across Australia and will include internationally recognized TiVo features like SeasonPass(TM) recordings and WishList(R) searches and allow users to access broadband content on their TV. Through its new partnership with TiVo, Seven will deploy TiVo's leading interactive advertising capabilities to develop new integrated interactive advertising strategies for their very substantial number of broadcast advertisers.

"Every night, the vast majority of Australians turn to free to air broadcasters for their television entertainment. The Australian television market is on the cusp of a significant migration to digital television that will greatly expand the choices available on free-to-air television," said Tom Rogers, President and CEO of TiVo. "We are excited to play a key role in driving this transition by partnering with the top television network in the country to establish Seven's leadership of this transformation."

Added Rogers, "This new partnership with Seven will utilize TiVo's content search and discovery features, TiVo's powerful advertising capabilities and broadband video straight to the TV set. This relationship demonstrates our ability to deploy the TiVo service on the digital terrestrial, or DVB-T standard, which has now been globally adopted and will represent more than 100 million homes by 2009. It demonstrates the opportunities TiVo has to work with leading broadcasters who have substantial marketing clout to drive TiVo DVR penetration by adopting our hardware and software approaches to this globally important standard."

Chief Executive Officer of Seven Media Group, Mr. David Leckie said, "This association unites the strengths of free to air television and TiVo to deliver new digital services to the Australian consumer. Free-to-Air television is well positioned in Australia to benefit from the TiVo service in offering viewers the chance to easily find and automatically record the programming they want, schedule their viewing time and vastly extend their overall television viewing experience."

"Through TiVo, Seven will leverage our broadcast television and publishing businesses, deliver new advertising and marketing solutions, and expand our presence in new communications platforms, as we work in partnership with Yahoo!7 and Engin. As a broadcaster, we are uniquely positioned to promote DVRs while simultaneously defining the future of television advertising."

A number of major media organizations have expressed interest in participating on the platform. Engin will play a pivotal role in distribution and support of TiVo in Australia. Seven and Engin are finalizing distribution arrangements with other partners. Further announcements of these arrangements are expected in the coming weeks.

The companies expect TiVo products and services to be launched in the first half of 2008. Financial terms were not disclosed.

About Seven

Seven Media Group (half owned by Seven Network Limited and one half owned by KKR funds) is a multi-faceted media company in Australia -- with a market-leading presence in broadcast television, magazines publishing and online and expanding new communications platforms in a joint venture with Yahoo, Inc in Australia. Seven's broadcast television platform reaches 98 percent of Australians. Seven's magazines publishing business, Pacific Magazines publishes more than one in five magazines sold in Australia, including three of the biggest selling magazines. Seven's Yahoo!7 joint venture with Yahoo, Inc combines the strengths of Yahoo's search and communications capabilities and its global internet network with Seven's media and entertainment content and marketing capabilities. The joint venture is driving the online, mobile and IPTV businesses of both companies in Australia.

About TiVo Inc.

Founded in 1997, TiVo (NASDAQ:TIVO) pioneered a brand new category of products with the development of the first commercially available digital video recorder (DVR). Sold through leading consumer electronic retailers, TiVo has developed a brand which resonates boldly with consumers as providing a superior television experience. Through agreements with leading satellite and cable providers, TiVo also integrates its full set of DVR service features into the set-top boxes of mass distributors. TiVo's DVR functionality and ease of use, with such features as Season Pass(TM) recordings and WishList(R) searches and TiVo(R) KidZone have elevated its popularity among consumers and have created a whole new way for viewers to watch television. With a continued investment in its patented technologies, TiVo is revolutionizing the way consumers watch and access home entertainment. Rapidly becoming the focal point of the digital living room, TiVo's DVR is at the center of experiencing new forms of content on the TV, such as broadband delivered video, music and photos. With innovative features, such as TiVoToGo(TM) transfers and online scheduling, TiVo is expanding the notion of consumers experiencing "TiVo, TV your way.(R)" The TiVo(R) service is also at the forefront of providing innovative marketing solutions for the television industry, including a unique platform for advertisers and audience measurement research. The company is based in Alviso, Calif.

TiVo, Season Pass, WishList, Series2, Series3, TiVoToGo, 'TiVo, TV your way' and the TiVo Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of TiVo Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. (C) 2007 TiVo Inc. All rights reserved.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: jweir@sloanepr.com

Source: TiVo Inc.

CONTACT: Whit Clay of Sloane & Company for TiVo, +1-212-446-1864,
wclay@sloanepr.com; or Simon Francis of Seven Network Ltd, +61 2 8777 7162,
SFrancis@seven.com.au

Web site: http://www.tivo.com/


Profile: International Entertainment

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