Welp, it’s time to pour one out for the Xfinity On-Demand services that will be removed from all TiVo platforms come June 25th.
Announcement of the functionality back in 2011 marked a seminal moment in DVR retail history, where the nation’s largest cable provider stepped up to the plate and collaborated with TiVo to right some (CableCARD) wrongs. Heck, TiVo even rolled out billboards to broadcast the initiative. But those days are coming to an end as Comcast no longer sees value in maintaining antiquated on-demand hardware that only serves TiVo these days nor are they seemingly interested in investing resources to produce a new solution.
While it’s true the companies have been engaged in a number of recent battles, as TiVo seeks Comcast patent licensing agreements, in asking around I really don’t think that’s what’s going on here and believe this to be a much simpler ROI calculation. As such, Comcast is pushing folks towards their Xfinity Stream app on other platforms to get to the good stuff. Which, sadly, kills TiVo as a sole input solution for some who will have to seek out HBO archives on other devices. But hopefully those other devices, like Roku, will soon seen their own TiVo apps…
Update: Some potential reassuring news that the loss of Xfinity On Demand may be a temporary phenomenon as TiVo VP Ted Malone has responded to concerns in the forums, “TiVo and Comcast are actively working together on a plan to bring a more modern Xfinity application to TiVo customers.” While there’s no word on timing, it seems quite likely an upcoming HTML5 app will provide more expansive capabilities than the one is replaces.
(Thanks for the pics, Matt and Jonathon!)