During the January 2019 CES event, TiVo demoed a TiVo app to the Apple TV, but a year later, the project is "in limbo" and an Apple TV app is no longer being actively developed.
In an interview with TechHive at CES 2020, TiVo vice president of consumer products and services Ted Malone said that while Apple TV app plans haven't been canceled, it's not TiVo's focus at this time.
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"My bet is we'll get Android, and because of that we'll get the Fire TV, because it's the same app, just different qualifications," Malone said. "I think Roku and Apple are in limbo."
TiVo had initially planned to release new apps for Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, and Android TV at some point in 2019, allowing TiVo users to access TiVo DVRs on other TVs throughout the home without the need to purchase TiVo Mini boxes, but limited resources, technical challenges, and strategy changes have delayed those plans.
According to Malone, TiVo has to transcode video before sending it to other devices, which results in quality and performance issues that TiVo has not been able to resolve. The company has also been working on the TiVo Stream 4K and the TiVo+ streaming service, and an Apple TV app is not a priority.
Malone said that TiVo needs to "double down" on the streaming market and not get distracted by a "bunch of things people want, but aren't really going to move the needle."
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That's funny. I've "wanted" to use TiVo services for the last 13 years. I've "wanted" to give them money for said services. Giving people what they want so that they continue to give you money isn't a bad thing. It's why they're a company in the first place - they had something people wanted.Malone said that TiVo needs to "double down" on the streaming market and not get distracted by a "bunch of things people want, but aren't really going to move the needle."
However, their inability to be a modern technology company and instead 'double down' on streaming (because they're absurdly late to the game) is going to be their downfall. No one wants their streaming device. There's enough of those out there already. They need to focus on their services, because thats the core of their business. They need to understand that cord cutters are not their market, and focus on those who still use Cable TV. It's a dying business, but it's not going to be dead any time soon. Either way, TiVo won't survive, especially under this leadership.
I have a 6-tuner TiVo in the living room and a TiVo mini + Apple TV in most of the bedrooms/office. I was looking forward to selling the TiVo minis and being able to do everything on the Apple TV.TiVo just doesn’t get it...users don’t want a TiVo app for the Apple TV. They want an Apple TV app for the TiVo. Simplicity.
For folks new to TiVo, being able to watch on other TVs (using an Apple TV, Roku, or Fire TV app) without needing to drop $179 for a TiVo Mini seemed like it would make TiVo that much less expensive to get into.