TiVo Enters Music Business with MTV, RealNetworks
Rhapsody Digital-Music Offerings to Be Available to Broadband-Connected DVRs
By Glen Dickson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/9/2007 4:34:00 AM
TiVo will now bring music to subscribers' digital-video recorders through a partnership it is announcing Tuesday with Rhapsody, the online-music provider jointly run by MTV Networks and RealNetworks.
The agreement will allow TiVo DVRs with broadband connections to access Rhapsody's digital-music offerings -- which include a library of 4 million songs and thousands of Internet radio stations -- directly through the TiVo user interface and remote control. TiVo subscribers can search for music directly from their TiVo boxes using Rhapsody's new predictive search feature; browse charts of Rhapsody's most popular artists, albums and songs; check out weekly lists of new releases; and use the TiVo remote's "Thumbs Up" and "Thumbs Down" buttons to rate their favorite music.
"Together, TiVo and Rhapsody have extended the personal viewing experience on TiVo into music, providing consumers with an incredibly easy way to access their favorite artists from their television set," TiVo president and CEO Tom Rogers said in a statement.
The Rhapsody service is initially available to TiVo subscribers in a free 30-day trial. After that, the digital-music service will cost $12.99 per month. Current Rhapsody subscribers who have broadband-connected TiVo DVRs can access their existing music libraries via their TV at no extra charge.
"Rhapsody on TiVo gives music fans a cool new way to connect with the music and the artists they love," said Michael Bloom, general manager and head of Rhapsody, in a statement. "Now fans of any genre have a way to bring their favorite music into the heart of their home."
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