Rovi to Deliver Digital Entertainment Advertising Program for Toyota

Rovi Corporation recently announced that it is collaborating with Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. to launch an interactive TV advertising initiative for the Toyota Tundra on the Rovi Advertising Network. Rovi’s product offering gives Toyota the ability to bring an innovative advertising experience to consumers and enables viewers to learn more about Toyota’s products through rich and dynamic content made available through advanced portals on the Rovi Advertising Network.

The Rovi Advertising Network offers advertising on Rovi guides—the ‘home page’ of the television where consumers go to find out what’s on TV—and on third-party interactive TV platforms, including set-top boxes, TVs and Blu-ray players. Rovi guides provide advertisers with a unique platform for reaching and engaging viewers via consumer destinations, or portals, while they are actively looking for new programming and in ‘decision-mode.’ Rovi guides represent a highly-trafficked area on TV: 87% of monitored households access the guide weekly; guide users on average visit the guide nine times daily; and users spend 13 minutes in the guide daily.

Because users of the Rovi platform are not limited to :30 second commercials, Toyota is able to offer consumers the opportunity to dive deeper and learn more about the Toyota Tundra. By accessing Toyota banner ads on Rovi guides, consumers can use their remote controls to view videos, photos and other Tundra product information.

Rovi launches search engine website + acquires SideReel.com

Rovi, a behind-the-scenes force in everything from metadata to copyright protection, recently launched AllRovi.com, a search-and-recommendation engine for entertainment content, and bolstered that effort with the acquisition of SideReel.com, a leading source of links to TV content online.

What’s different about this Rovi move is that its core product, electronic programming guides, is essentially getting some exposure on the open web as opposed to the connected devices that has been its focal point to date.

Rovi is going to be a strong player given the depth of content and personalization technology they bring to the game.While AllRovi.com has plenty of film and music content to bring to the mix, Sidereel will have them covered on the TV side.

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Solution expected to bring enhanced interactive TV experience to millions of homes

Leveraging ActiveVideo’s CloudTV Platform and Cisco’s multi-screen Content Delivery System (CDS), an end-user will be able to navigate the Interactive Program Guide (IPG) application on an iPad to select live, time-shifted or VOD content to be displayed seamlessly on their TV or directly on their iPad anywhere throughout the home, through a Wi-Fi network.

The companies anticipate the combination of ActiveVideo’s cloud-based platform and Cisco’s multi-screen Content Delivery System (CDS) will allow cable system operators and IPTV providers throughout the world to quickly introduce innovative interactive applications to digital set-top boxes (EBIF and tru2way), CI+ connected televisions and IP-Connected devices.

Rovi + Unitymedia Sign Interactive Program Guide Patent License Agreement

Rovi Corporation and Unitymedia announced recently that they have entered into a multi-year license agreement for interactive program guide (IPG) patents owned by Rovi.

The agreement provides Unitymedia with a license to Rovi’s IPG patents for Unitymedia’s pay television services in Germany. Unitymedia, a subsidiary of Liberty Global, Inc., is the second largest cable television provider in Germany and one of the largest pay television providers throughout Europe. The agreement with Unitymedia builds on the existing relationship between Rovi and other Liberty Global subsidiaries such as UPC Broadband.

AUSTAR and Rovi Sign IPG Patent License Agreement

Agreement Marks Growth of Rovi’s International Licensing Program

Rovi Corporation (NASDAQ: ROVI) and Austar United Communications Limited announced that they have entered into a multi-year license agreement for interactive program guide (IPG) patents owned by Rovi.

The agreement provides AUSTAR with a license to Rovi’s IPG patents for AUSTAR’s pay television services in Australia. AUSTAR is an affiliate of UPC Broadband in Europe, via parent company Liberty Global, Inc. UPC recently negotiated a similar agreement with Rovi.

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