Skip to main content

TiVo soars further into the cloud, purchases cloud-based Digitalsmiths for $135 million

TiVo’s business model has always included a keen focus on the development of its premium DVR boxes. But that may be about to change. After reportedly firing a large portion of its hardware staff last week, the company is delving even deeper into the cloud, announcing today it will be acquiring the cloud-based content delivery service, Digitalsmiths, for a reported $135 million.

In an official press release today, TiVo CEO Tom Rogers had this to say about the forthcoming deal,”The Digitalsmiths acquisition opens new opportunities to commercialize and deploy TiVo’s cloud-based services and technologies to operators, in an extremely cost effective way that can be offered either independently or in conjunction with TiVo’s renowned user interface.”

Recommended Videos

Rogers went on to say that he expects the Digitalsmiths acquisition to help TiVo expand its role even further with Tier-one U.S. service providers, and also boost the company’s earnings for the coming fiscal year.

Digitalsmiths is best known for its intuitive content search optimization software, led by its Seamless Discovery service. The service is designed to adapt to a user’s preferences in real-time, finding the relevant shows and movies users want to watch next without requiring arduous searching through multiple applications.

Digitalsmiths casts a wide net, powering 7 out of the top 10 pay-TV services, and helping to drive content search across multiple platforms, including Roku, Xbox, Playstation, iOS and Android devices, and other set-top boxes. With the acquisition of Digitalsmiths, TiVo not only hopes to build out its cloud-based services, but it also expects to forge closer ties with pay-TV content providers, helping to bring its services to a wider array of users.

All of this seems to be a part of a bigger strategy by TiVo to move out of body, so to speak, breaking away from its proprietary DVR devices, and expanding its special brand of content delivery and recording into the plethora of other devices consumers already own. While TiVo’s VP of Corporate Communications Steve Wymer firmly denied the company will be cutting out the hardware side of its business altogether in a recent interview with The Verge, the company’s latest moves seem to point to a much broader business strategy. 

As content delivery systems like set-top boxes, consoles, DVRS, and SmartTVs are expanding at a seemingly exponential rate, the battle for supremacy over viewers’ preferred interface has become an all out dogfight. It seems TiVo has seen the writing on the wall, and is looking for new ways to deploy its services beyond its signature boxes. We’ll have to wait and see if this new trajectory will pay off, but for now, it looks like TiVo is moving with nimble feet, and facing the ever-shifting paradigm of content delivery with eyes wide open.

Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is a multi-year veteran of the digital media industry, a lover of all things tech, audio, and TV, and a…
This Samsung Dolby Atmos soundbar combo is 57% off at Woot today
Samsung 2024 HW-Q990D soundbar.

Nothing says “surround sound” like a full-on Dolby Atmos soundbar system. While many of these bar-speaker bundles cost upwards of $1,000, one of the best Atmos rigs has a crazy-good discount at Woot today: For a limited time, you’ll be able to score the Samsung HW-Q990D 11.1.4ch Dolby Atmos Soundbar for only $868. That’s a $1,132 markdown from its original $2,000 price! 

Why you should buy the Samsung HW-Q990D Soundbar

Read more
Please, just buy some earbuds
AI-generated image of a person on a subway doing a video call on a phone.

The first time I encountered someone listening to their phone out loud in public, it was on a city bus and I was taken aback for two reasons. First, the volume level on the phone wasn't just audible to the person sitting next to them; our entire section of the bus could hear it. Second, it was a FaceTime call, and neither the person on the bus, nor their caller seemed to be the slightest bit hesitant to carry on their conversation in public. In fact, they appeared completely oblivious.

That was a few years ago. Since then, the problem of listening out loud has gotten much worse. I've encountered it in grocery stores, airport lounges, coffee shops, and even when just walking on the sidewalk. And it's not just phone calls/FaceTime. Music, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram -- you name it. If it's got an audio track, I've heard it blaring from the speaker of someone's phone. During a recent episode of the New York Times' excellent tech podcast, Hard Fork, a listener referred to the problem as an epidemic, and I don't think that's hyperbole.

Read more
You Asked: Best OLED for PS5, straight talk for oldies, and GTA 6 weigh-in
You Asked Ep. 91: Which OLED for PS5?

On today’s You Asked: We’re all in mourning after another delay to the release of Grand Theft Auto 6, but we answer your questions in anticipation. And, in a world of so many OLED TV choices, which one pairs well with a PlayStation 5?

New OLED jitters

Read more