TiVo users get twice the choice of Internet movies

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 15 September 2010 18:11

Your IT - Entertainment

TiVo distributor, Hybrid TV, has added movies from three new distributors to the list of those available to TiVo users via its CASPA VoD offering.

Hybrid TV says it has signed comprehensive video on-demand (VoD) content agreements for Australia with NBC Universal International Television Distribution, Icon Film Distribution and Umbrella Entertainment. It claims that these new studio agreements will more than double the size of CASPA's new release and library movie portfolio.

CASPA, launched in November 2009, delivers content to the TiVo set-top box - via a broadband connection for display on the TV set. CASPA content is available quota free from Internode, iPrimus, Adam Internet, iiNet, Apex Internet and vividwireless.

NBC Universal is the fourth major studio to provide its movie catalogue to the CASPA on-demand service, joining Paramount Pictures, Sony Entertainment and Disney Media Distribution.

Icon Film Distribution is, according to Hybrid TV, "renowned as a leading distributor of theatrical feature films and adds an outstanding range of diverse titles to CASPA including Fame, 30 Days of Night, Precious, The Road and Paranormal Activity."

Umbrella Entertainment is "a leading Australian Independent studio [responsible for] independent film classics like; Stone, Sirens, Adventures of Barry McKenzie, The Big Steal and Puberty Blues."

Hybrid TV CEO, Robbee Minicola, said: "Our goal for CASPA is to build a world class digital entertainment destination which offers unparalleled on-demand movie and TV content sourced from both Australian and international content creators. It's all about high quality, legal content that Australians can access at the touch of a button from their lounge room."

She told iTWire at the launch of CASPA that the company's ambition was for much of the content on CASPA to be advertising funded and for the service to be available direct to TVs without the need for a TiVo, and that TV widgets would be the key to this strategy.