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View Full Version : We are not the Target Audience for the Premier


Augeas
03-03-2010, 07:37 PM
Be glad that Tivo is at least providing us with a 50% lifetime subscription discount, because we are not the target audience for the Premiere... All S4 features (search) but the interface design could be passed down to the S3, but I am highly doubtful that it will happen...

To Tivo we are the hardcore base revenue stream, we are not the target audience for them since our revenue is not making them profitable.

Looking at the numbers, Tivo was up to 4.4M subcribers in 2006, as of 2009 they were down to 2.7M. The Tivo Base subscribers (us) has been roughly 1.5M since 2006. Based on the numbers we are not going anywhere, but we are not increasing revenue for Tivo either... They need to get the MSO's back onboard or Tivo is history. The DirectTivo is a good start, but they need Comcast, Verizon, others to adopt the Tivo as the cable box for their subscribers or they are likely to remain unprofitable for the foreseeable future.

The subscriber numbers show where the money is for Tivo, and it is not us it is the MSOs... http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/11/24/tivo-loses-314000-subscribers-worst-quarterly-subscriber-fall-yet-now-below-3-million/34484

So, Tivo should not cripple their boxes for DirecTV (like they did the last time) they should have all the features that Tivo can offer (and that DirectTV will allow), ditto for the cable providers.

For us, the base, fed up with Comcast/Verizon/"you name it" DVRs they need to significantly reduce the price of the Tivo box or remove the subscription model and figure out how to make their other revenue streams work, and aggressively market their box against the cable providers boxes to entice customers to make the move. You can't imagine how many times I have heard someone say they have a Tivo, when they really have a cable provider DVR. Customers do not know that their is a difference, all they know is that is costs 19.00 a month and that is better than 300.00 purchase + 13.00 a month.

That being said, Tivo is in the same position they have always been in with the flat growth of their Tivo Direct subscriptions... Without pricing/subscription model changes Tivo Direct Subscriptions will likely remain flat.

If they do not change the pricing model their best chance at profitability is to get onboard with the MSOs, and the only way that will happen with the big ones is through litigation and fantastic marketing, think PC vs. Mac...

So, who is the target audience for the Premiere? Can't be us, they already have us... Can't be new Tivo owned subscribers, only a fool continues to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result... Then who, the MSOs? Or is Tivo's board of directors delusional enough to think that the Premiere will grow the direct subscribers Tivo base with its current pricing structure?

aaronwt
03-03-2010, 08:31 PM
Doesn't DirecTV decide what features that will be included in the TiVo box for DirecTV?

RangerOne
03-03-2010, 08:41 PM
During yesterday's event, they stated that RCN would be adopting the box. Imagine getting a TiVo instead of a generic DVR. Apparently, the Tivo will have some form of RCN's on demand.

There was also an implication from the screen shots yesterday that this would also be the case with Comcast but alas it turned out just to be a mock up!!

Augeas
03-03-2010, 09:10 PM
Doesn't DirecTV decide what features that will be included in the TiVo box for DirecTV?

I would imagine that they would have veto power and DirecTV would demand customization. But when I had a DirecTivo back in 2002+ (Owned 3 including the 1000.00 HD version) it seemed like Tivo was innovating on the standalone and not providing the updates to the DirecTivo, multiroom, TivoToGo, etc..

During yesterday's event, they stated that RCN would be adopting the box. Imagine getting a TiVo instead of a generic DVR. Apparently, the Tivo will have some form of RCN's on demand.

There was also an implication from the screen shots yesterday that this would also be the case with Comcast but alas it turned out just to be a mock up!!

RCN is supposedly fully adopting the Tivo Premiere, so their users will get all the features and benefits it provides (and RCN allows to stay)...

I will love to see the day come that Tivo Software is on a majority of boxes that the cable operators use... How come Scientific Atlanta and Motorola got embedded and Tivo didn't?

SNJpage1
03-03-2010, 10:31 PM
From what I am seeing the new Tivo adds two things a better GUI and a bigger hard drive. The GUI isnt worth the money to buy a Premier and installing a bigger hard drive would be cheaper also.

ZeoTiVo
03-03-2010, 10:46 PM
I would imagine that they would have veto power and DirecTV would demand customization. But when I had a DirecTivo back in 2002+ (Owned 3 including the 1000.00 HD version) it seemed like Tivo was innovating on the standalone and not providing the updates to the DirecTivo, multiroom, TivoToGo, etc..

yes - DirectTV gets to decide exactly how THEIR DVRs work, even if TiVo makes them. The directTiVo numbers are off because there is no HD DirectTiVo right now that works for all channels. DUH.

DirectTV might get with the program and allow some type of MRV but both they and RCN are not looking to have Netflix streaming or Unbox selling on the DVR the MSO provides - they want their MSO PPV and VOD to be the thing people pay money on.

Now i had posted in an earlier thread that the Premiere is not targeted at current TiVo users per se. TiVo is looking to get new subscribers who have not used a TiVo before and of course get significant numbers going on MSO sales.

the shiny interface is needed for that and for MSOs it might work really well - not so sure if it will bring in more Stand Alone subscribers though - lower sub prices is what is needed to do that ;)

b3ar
03-04-2010, 08:04 AM
From what I am seeing the new Tivo adds two things a better GUI and a bigger hard drive. The GUI isnt worth the money to buy a Premier and installing a bigger hard drive would be cheaper also.

It looks like far better processing, in general, is in order, as well. The S4 supports 1080p24 and 1080p30, but whether it has the capability to recover a 24fps signal from something like HBO will have to be determined. HD VOD from Netflix/Amazon/etc. would be a lot more enjoyable at the native frame rate for film. Improved deinterlacing (e.g., less combing) on SD sources would also be good. And, oh yeah, faster channel changes between SD and HD if you can scale all of them up to 1080p (with a suitable display, of course).

Throw in the likely event that new features will invariably get targeted to the new platform, and the S3 starts looking like the S2: competent, but getting frozen.