TiVo already enables Netflix Inc. customers to stream video content via its video recorders through broadband connection. However, Blockbuster plans to offer a broader selection. 

 

The agreement between the two companies means that people who purchase TiVo recorders can rent or buy movies and download them. 

 

Blockbuster’s arrival on TiVo will compete with Netfix and Amazon.com, which already inked deals with TiVo to make their digital catalogs available for purchase. However, Blockbuster may get a significant market share due to the fact that its competitors have catalogs that include significantly more numerous older titles rather than recent releases. I guess it’s about what users prefer, ultimately. Blockbuster currently offers thousands of movie titles available for download after purchasing Movielink in 2007. 

 

Its vast movie catalog will be made available in the second half of 2009 and its titles will be downloadable on TiVo's Series 2, Series 3, TiVo HD and TiVo HD XL DVRs.

 

Both companies will have something to gain from this agreement. Dallas-based Blockbuster will expand it reach and better compete against Netflix, while TiVo will add a service that will make its prices (not low at all) more good-looking. 

 

"Ultimately, our vision is to work with TiVo so that their subscribers can access movies not only through our OnDemand service but also from our stores and through our by-mail service as well," Jim Keyes, Blockbuster chairman and CEO, said in a statement.