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YouTube is expanding on a global
scale and plans to go from just being an internet site to becoming a TV
destination, as TiVo Inc. made an announcement on Wednesday on a new
partnership that plans to bring YouTube videos directly on users’ television
sets.
Tara Maitra, Vice President and
General Manager for Content Services at TiVo said: “YouTube APIs enable TiVo to
provide an extremely rich and highly personalized viewing experience for
streamed video on the television.”
This collaboration will enable
TiVo users to watch high-quality videos from YouTube right on their television,
and with the help of YouTube’s APIs, they will also be able to search and
instantly stream videos from YouTube.
The service reminds us of Apple’s
initiative last year, when they started Apple TV, which also allowed users to
watch YouTube videos on their televisions. The TiVo deal just seems to boost
YouTube, which is already a popular Web destination, but could also become a
television ‘must see’.
Out of a total of 4 million TiVo
subscribers, less than a quarter of them will actually benefit from the new
collaboration, as it requires a broadband connection supported only by more
recent versions of hardware.
The service is expected to
become available later this year, enabling users to rate, flag and share
videos, as well as log into their YouTube accounts directly from TiVo and
access their favorite channels and playlists.
YouTube has continued to grow in
size and popularity over the years, and it became a top Web destination, and
not necessarily only for young people. The ‘YouTube on your TiVo’ can only make
things better for both, as it could attract even more audience.
“TiVo should be the best
experience for all video options, whether it’s coming from cable, satellite or
off a server,” said Ms. Maitra as quoted by The New York Times. Ever since it
was founded, in 1997, TiVo became a lead provider of superior television
experience, and it promises to continue to offer their customers everything
they want in the entertainment field.
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