Alaskan telecommunications company GCI announced this morning that it is going with TiVo for its next-generation whole-home TV platform.
GCI (General Communications Inc.), which is Alaska’s largest telecommunications company and the nation’s 20th-largest cable operator, said it would start deploying TiVo’s platform this year before offering it across its entire footprint next year.
GCI will rely on TiVo to enable its whole-home platform, which will initially include TiVo’s Premiere Q four-tuner gateway DVR, TiVo’s Mini low-cost IP set-tops and the TiVo Stream, which enables access to content across tablets and smartphones in the home.
GCI will also be one of the first operators to use the TiVo Software and Service in conjunction with Pace’s XG1 gateway with integrated DOCSIS and transcoding capabilities. Pace and TiVo announced the multi-tuner gateway in May.
Once the TiVo platform is rolled out, GCI will offer its subscribers linear cable TV that’s integrated with on-demand and broadband video content through TiVo’s well-known user interface.
“GCI customers deserve the very best television viewing experience possible, and the advanced features of the TiVo product will allow us to provide that,” said Bob Ormberg, vice president of content, product management at GCI. “After examining the various advanced TV UI solutions for our subscribers, we determined that TiVo’s advanced user interface, leading whole-home solution and hardware flexibility combined to create the best option available. Additionally, the simplicity with which TiVo presents a vast world of content to every screen, including tablets and smartphones, not only meets our needs today, but is an ideal fit for the future as television evolves.”
To date, TiVo has struck deals with Comcast, Suddenlink Communications, RCN, Grande Communications and Charter Communications.
In its first-quarter earnings call earlier this year, Charter said it was pushing back the rollout of TiVo’s Premiere box because its VOD systems were different than the ones TiVo previously integrated with.
On its second-quarter earnings call earlier this month, Charter CEO Tom Rutledge said Charter remained committed to using TiVo’s software and planned to deploy its user interface in the cloud for its current and future customer premises equipment.
