Given it has the financial backing of the Seven Network and a brand name known around the world, you’d expect TiVo to be a huge hit here in Australia. But a report in The Register by Natalie Apostolou indicates that the TiVo’s licensee here in Australia, Hybrid TV, has cut back the local office to just five staff and the company’s in advanced talks to offload the product to IPTV rival FetchTV.
The Reg reports that about 40 local staff were cut with a company restructure in December following some less than impressive results. Support has been reduced to email responses. Whether or not this will effect current TiVo users is yet to be seen.
TiVo launched to a media frenzy here in Australia a couple of years ago, but hasn’t really followed through with a lot of the promises they made, like ad supported (free) VOD, and online shopping through the TiVo box.
But despite its failings, the TiVo is still a solid DVR, and we hope this restructure isn’t a sign that the company is going down the tubes.
UPDATE: TiVo claims it’s business as usual on their Facebook page. Seems kind of strange that they wouldn’t send out an announcement to the media to clarify the issue though…