Geez,SONY endorsement makes this product global in an instant........IVO AND SONY FORM STRATEGIC ALLIANCE
Sony Corporation of America Announces Equity Investment in TiVo, Forms
Alliance for Manufacture of Personal Video Recorders and Integration of Original
Content and Services
SUNNYVALE, CA and NEW YORK, NY - September 8, 1999 - TiVo Inc., the creator of personal
television, and Sony Corporation of America (SCA), the leading electronics and entertainment
company, today announced the formation of a strategic alliance that will result in the manufacture of
Sony personal video recorders (PVRs) that enable the TiVo Personal Television Service. Further, the
non-exclusive relationship outlines the integration of Sony products and original content on the TiVo
service, providing an enriched user experience that could potentially include games, music and
motion pictures. Additionally, SCA will make a minority investment in TiVo, and will be represented
on TiVo's Board of Directors.
The broad strategic and commercial agreement between the two companies will result in the
manufacture of Sony personal video recorders. As a result of the agreement with Sony's diverse
media and entertainment properties, entertainment content will be added incrementally to the TiVo
service. Additional content may include motion pictures, music creation and distribution and
television programming, particularly those programs with interactive gaming potential.
"Sony is the world's leading consumer electronics and media company. This alliance represents a
significant endorsement of TiVo's technology and personal television service," said Mike Ramsay,
president and CEO, TiVo. "Our combined efforts will bring an even richer, more entertaining
experience to viewers, who will now have access to a wide array of interactive services based on
Sony content. This alliance further validates TiVo's personal television service as the next big thing in
television."
"As a company that bestrides the worlds of both electronics and entertainment, Sony is delighted to
join in combining personal television with cutting-edge entertainment options for home viewers, " said
Howard Stringer, chairman and CEO of Sony Corporation of America. "This relationship with TiVo
illustrates Sony's overall strategy to continue its leadership in the development of next-generation
entertainment devices. In the coming years, we expect that the PVR will personalize television
viewing, offering the consumer more choice in content, services and viewing time."
In the future, subscribers to TiVo's service will be able to access a gateway to Sony programming
and content that may include Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, Inc., and
Sony Online Entertainment, as well as other properties that Sony has the right to promote and
distribute. The addition of Sony content will further enrich the television viewing experience as viewers
gain even more compelling content when they want it.
TiVo currently offers TiVo personal video systems and the TiVo personal television service in the U.S.
market. The TiVo service enables consumers to time-shift their favorite television shows and create a
customized television lineup for viewing at any time. TiVo's intelligent "thumbs up, thumbs down"
ratings provide a personalized selection of new programming suggestions, which ensure that the TiVo
PVR is always able to provide the best programs available on television to fit individual viewer
preferences.
Personal television technology gives viewers the capability to pause and rewind live television by
recording programming onto a hard drive within a set-top box. Such "time-shifting" can be combined
with a host of other services to provide viewers with more control over what programming they are
watching, and when they are watching it.
TiVo previously announced investments from several leading media, cable and consumer electronics
companies, including CBS, Comcast Corporation, Cox Communications, Discovery Communications
Inc., The Walt Disney Company, Liberty Media subsidiaries Liberty Digital and Encore Media Group,
Advance/Newhouse and TV Guide Interactive. In addition, TiVo has partnerships with NBC, DIRECTV,
Philips Electronics, E! Entertainment Television, FLIX, HBO, Showtime, style, The Movie Channel,
The Weather Channel and ZDTV.
About Sony Corporation of America
Sony Corporation of America, based in New York City, is the U.S. subsidiary of Sony Corporation,
headquartered in Tokyo. Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications
and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Its music, motion
pictures, computer entertainment operations, and online businesses make Sony one of the most
comprehensive entertainment companies in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of
over $56 billion in the last fiscal year ended March 31, 1999. Sony Corporation of America
background and other helpful information can be found on Sony Corporation of America's web site
(http://www.sony.com/SCA/index.html). Sony Corporation worldwide information can be found at:
world.sony.com
About TiVo
TiVo, headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., is the creator of personal television. The TiVo service allows
consumers to take control of their television viewing by allowing them to watch what they want, when
they want. TiVo enables consumers to pause, rewind, instant replay and playback in slow motion
any live television broadcast. As part of TiVo's easy-to-use service and unique technology, viewers
can time-shift their favorite television shows and create a customized television lineup for viewing at
anytime. The TiVo service will always put viewers' personal privacy first. To ensure this, TiVo has
established strict policies to help protect the privacy of consumers' personal information, while
providing a valuable personalized TV experience. The company was founded in August 1997 by two
former Silicon Graphics senior executives, Michael Ramsay and James Barton, both of whom were
instrumental in early generation interactive video-on-demand systems and Hollywood special-effects
technology. TiVo can be reached on the World Wide Web at www.tivo.com.
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