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Verizon, Rovi renew deal

Rovi Corporation has announced that Verizon Communications has signed a multi-year patent licence renewal that runs into the next decade. “Our patent licence renewal with Verizon further confirms the significant value of Rovi’s intellectual property portfolio, particularly in the US pay-TV market,” said Samir Armaly, executive vice president, intellectual property and licensing, Rovi. With this […]

July 6, 2016

Android TV search adds Netflix content

Android TV’s universal search feature has now added Netflix content to its search results in the US. Search is usually key to Google products, so the inability to apply that to Netflix always seemed odd, especially since similar search capabilities worked with Netflix on both Apple TV and Roku devices. A tweet from Android confirmed […]

June 24, 2016

KDDI adopts Rovi G-Guide HTML

Japan’s major service provider, KDDI, has selected Rovi’s G-Guide HTML to enable entertainment discovery on the new Android TV based IPTV STB. Available this month to KDDI’s IPTV subscribers, the new STB delivers advanced discovery experiences to users. This is the first product to adopt Rovi G-Guide HTML for IPTV. Rovi’s G-Guide HTML is an […]

June 23, 2016

Brazil: Rovi, Revista Eletrônica enhance discovery

Rovi Corporation has announced that Rovi has formed a strategic alliance with Brazilian metadata provider, Revista Eletrônica, to offer an advanced metadata solution targeted at pay-TV and entertainment content providers. Revista Eletrônica is an in-market provider that has delivered local TV listings to the Brazilian pay-TV market for more than 20 years. When combined with […]

June 16, 2016

FOTV acquires OVGuide

FOTV Media Networks is to acquire OVGuide, the comprehensive service to facilitating the discovery and consumption of online video across all platforms. OVGuide joins FilmOn TV Networks and CinemaNow to form a powerful ecosystem that delivers a one-stop solution for online entertainment. OVGuide, which was founded in 2007, allows users globally to discover – through […]

May 20, 2016By Colin Mann

Amazon enhances Fire TV

Amazon has announced new robotic voice assistant Alexa features that are coming to streaming media player Fire TV, including the ability to control playback of Amazon Video and Add-On Subscription content, launch apps, access local movie show times, search local businesses and restaurants, and more—all just by using your voice. According to Amazon, discovering and […]

May 18, 2016

BBC discovery app

BBC is to launch a discovery app, BBC+, as part of its content personalisation plans. In a progress report a year after director general Tony Hall set out his vision for a more personal BBC, the corporation said that the new BBC+ mobile app will help viewers to discover collections of content from across the […]

May 9, 2016

Netflix “psyche tests” to make consumers watch more

Netflix uses psychological experiments to draw viewers into its shows, the TV streaming company has confirmed. As viewers choose what show to watch on the service they are being used as test subjects to help Netflix understand which images make viewers pick a show and actually watch it. Netflix uses this data to get more people to watch its […]

May 6, 2016

Rovi to acquire TiVo in $1.1bn deal

Some five weeks after reports first emerged that entertainment discovery specialist Rovi was planning to acquire advanced television technology specialist TiVo the pair have confirmed a cash and stock deal of approximately $1.1 billion (€0.96bn). The new company combines two media and entertainment technology innovators with complementary products, services, and intellectual property assets and a […]

April 29, 2016

ruwido boosts Sky Q viewing experience

Home input device and interaction mechanism specialist ruwido has confirmed that it is providing the brand new Sky Q touch remote, designed to deliver a fluid and seamless TV experience. Sky’s premium Sky Q entertainment service – launched in February 2016 after its unveiling in November 2015 – is aimed at making it easier than […]

April 26, 2016Colin Mann @ TV Connect