TiVo claims its broadband and TV tie-up gives it an edge over BSkyB

The boss of TiVo, the American company behind Virgin Media’s search-and-recommend TV set-top box, today claimed that BSkyB is struggling to match his technology.

Tom Rogers said TiVo’s combination of cable and broadband gives it an advantage over the Sky+ box, which relies on a satellite signal.

TiVo uses the internet to allow greater access to apps such as YouTube, and it has a “backwards” electronic programme guide so viewers can watch shows from the last seven days without having recorded them — unlike Sky.

“The high-speed broadband pipe is what really makes the internet-to-the-TV sing,” said Rogers on a visit to London. “When you create a user experience that ties traditional TV with broadband connectivity and embraces video on demand and over-the-top [internet] content, that creates a product that is very hard for others to match.”

900,000 new and existing Virgin customers bought TiVo last year. Sky won only 105,000 TV subscribers but almost 500,000 new and existing customers signed up for HD and it has a bigger base.

TiVo is said to be hopeful it can work with Virgin after its sale to US giant Liberty Global, which owns TiVo rival Horizon.