To deploy 'next generation TV' in Spain, ONO, the largest cable operator in Spain and a premier provider of broadband communication and entertainment services has signed an strategic agreement with TiVo (News - Alert) , the creator of and a leader in television services for personal video recorders.

 

ONO, through the combination of its modern fibre optic network and TiVo's best in class television user experience, will be able to offer Spanish homes the most advanced video service on the market, in a seamless convergence between Internet and traditional television content.

 

With this partnership, ONO has been established as the exclusive distributor of TiVo's advanced television services in Spain. Also, for all next generation set top boxes deployed by ONO, including both PVR platforms and traditional "non-PVR" set top boxes; TiVo will work as the exclusive software provider.

 

TiVo and ONO expect to collaborate on solutions that make the TiVo experience available to consumers beyond ONO's cable footprint in conjunction with terrestrial and Internet delivered content.

 

Endorsed by its undeniable success in the US, the TiVo service is a completely novel experience on the audiovisual panorama. According to Rosalia Portela, the CEO of ONO, "Working with a strategic partner of the stature of TiVo, a pioneer and innovator in the development of a converged recording system and in the implementation of a new model of television in other countries, allows us to make the leap to launching the next generation of TV in the market. Our fibre optic network combined with the capacity of TiVo will position us at the cutting edge of advanced next generation services for the Internet and Television."

 

To deliver the market's most comprehensive array of content including broadcast television, cable video-on-demand, and Internet delivered video, the TiVo products deployed by ONO will showcase the superiority of ONO's fibre optic network.

 

TiVo's leading software platform which provides a universal search experience across the infinite world of content unleashed by this type of hybrid platform will make this whole thing possible.

 

The world renowned TiVo branded user interface, will be featured by the product. It will also enable a variety of best-in-class features that TiVo users in the United States have come to know and love.

 

Tom Rogers (News - Alert), President and CEO of TiVo Inc., added, "We are extremely proud to be selected as ONO's strategic partner for its next generation video experience and believe that together we can offer the most compelling video product in the Spanish marketplace. Building on our recent announcement with Virgin Media in the UK, this deal demonstrates the growing proliferation of TiVo as the most compelling solution for television providers seeking to differentiate their service through a best-in-class user experience and a world of content that integrates broadcast and broadband television to go well beyond the confines of traditional pay television."

 

To implement and subsequently launch ONO's next generation TV platform, ONO and TiVo will also be working with other technology providers such as Nagravision and Cisco (News - Alert).

 

In related news, ONO, the Spanish cable operator has included the TCM Clasico channel to its pay-TV offering. The channel broadcasts the greatest Hollywood motion pictures. The TCM Clasico will be available for Ono pay-TV service subscribers from June 1.