TVNZ has acquired a 33% stake in Hybrid Television Services, the exclusive licensee of TiVo in Australia and New Zealand, from Seven Media Group.  Seven Media Group retains the remaining 67% of Hybrid Television Services. 

Hybrid Television Services launched TiVo in Australia in July 2008.  TVNZ's investment will support the launch of the media device in New Zealand this Christmas. 

New Zealand Trend
TVNZ’s head of emerging business Jason Paris commented on the launch; "The rapid adoption of TVNZ on demand showed us that New Zealanders are keen to have more control over their TV viewing experience. TiVo transforms television, giving viewers an unprecedented level of control over their favourite programmes in an incredibly simple way."

TVNZ CEO Rick Ellis commented; "The TiVo media device is a global leader and our investment in Hybrid Television Services is an investment in the future commercial success of TVNZ.  It marks a further step in our transition from a traditional broadcaster to a multi-platform digital media company with diverse income streams, operating in the Australasian market."

Seven Media Group chief sales and digital officer, James Warburton said the deal was  positive for both sides. “TiVo experienced outstanding Christmas sales and continues to lead the category in DVR sales in Australia. This investment from TVNZ and their involvement on the board of Hybrid Television Services will ensure that the company is uniquely positioned for success in both countries."

The TiVo media device allows viewers to receive all free-to-air digital TV channels as well as broadband content, services and games. Compatible with New Zealand Freeview HD broadcasts, TiVo will enable viewers to record shows, pause and rewind live TV, watch movies on demand and access services such as pizza ordering, shopping and weather forecasts through their television.

TiVo in the media
TiVo has come under some criticism lately in the Australian media, with some commentators wondering why the device does not allow people to access Pay TV. Hybrid TV CEO Robbee Minicola told www.connectedaustralia.com  that this won’t be an issue in the New Zealand market because More than half of all New Zealand households choose not to pay a subscription to view television and a large number of those who do pay a subscription view mainly free-to-air programming. 
 
“The TiVo service does not require a monthly subscription and allows consumers to enrich their viewing experience of the programmes they know and love.  With the content available on the Freeview HD platform growing, the TiVo proposition will only improve,” Minicola said.

The Sydney Morning Herald has also reported that TiVo users are demanding refunds after the company began charging $199 for a basic upgrade it promised would cost "tens of dollars", prompting investigations into whether the move breached fair trading laws. 

According to the newspaper the $699 TV recording device lacked the key home networking feature that allows users to transfer content from their PC to the TiVo, and recordings from the TiVo to the PC and a range of mobile devices. The feature, which also allows multiple TiVos in different rooms to communicate, comes free with the US model but was deliberately disabled on the Australian version. 

When questioned about this by Connected Australia, Minicola responded: “While the US model is subscription-based, in Australia the TiVo media device is a once-off purchase (which can be paid in installments).  This fundamental difference in revenue model makes comparisons between US and Australian pricing on both the device and additional features inaccurate and irrelevant.”