In what they’re calling an “Unprecedented Partnership” (wasn’t it preceded by a very similar deal with the Chicago Tribune? I don’t think unprecedented means what you think it means), as I posted earlier today, TiVo is teaming up with Entertainment Weekly.
Fromm their press release:
Entertainment Weekly’s ‘What to Watch’ TV recommendations will now be even easier to access, as the TiVo® service will automatically record the suggested programs. As a result, broadband enabled TiVo subscribers are guaranteed to always have the best programs available to watch whenever they turn on the TV set. The service is expected to launch this fall.
In addition, TiVo subscribers will be able to download Entertainment Weekly video content on the TiVo service, allowing viewers to enjoy EW.com’s original programs such as “Just a Minute,” “Ausiello TV,” “Idolatry,” and behind the scenes video from photo shoots.
It sounds pretty much exactly like the Chicago Tribune deal, a combination of an Entertainment Weekly Guru Guide and TiVoCast(s). This deal will probably result in more exposure for TiVo as EW’s audience is a lot more focused than the Tribune’s.
Though I think they might be laying it on a wee bit thick:
This unprecedented partnership allows two powerful properties to work together to create a more seamless television viewing experience for their respective audiences. TiVo chose Entertainment Weekly to be their trusted voice, and together, they are bridging the gap between Entertainment Weekly readers and all television viewers using the TiVo service. This truly holistic solution maximizes the service EW offers its audience with the innovation and ease of the TiVo service.
An ‘unprecedented partnership’ and a ‘truly holistic solution’? Really? TiVo, I love you pal, but I think that’s a little much for a marketing arrangement with some Guru Guides and TiVoCasts. I’d be happy to be surprised by there being more to it, but that’s what it sounds like. A good deal, but not warranting such effusiveness.