TiVo Going Down Under in 2008

TiVo will begin offering service to consumers in Australia and New Zealand in 2008 thanks to a partnership with media company Seven Media Group.

The DVR maker's technology will be used to support a free-to-air digital television offering in the country. Popular features such as SeasonPass and WishList functionality, as well as broadband content, will be available to consumers.

"The Australian television market is on the cusp of a significant migration to digital television that will greatly expand the choices available on free-to-air television," President and CEO of TiVo Tom Rogers said.

"We are excited to play a key role in driving this transition by partnering with the top television network in the country to establish Seven's leadership of this transformation," he continued.

Rogers said the agreement showed that TiVo could be used with the DVB-T standard now used in Europe and Australia. It is equivalent to North America's ATSC and ISDB-T in Japan, and allows for the transmission of several channels of high quality video and audio without the need for cable or a satellite dish.

Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed and the first products and services are to be launched in the first half of next year. Along with Seven, other Australian companies have indicated interest in participating in the platform.