TiVo and Yahoo launch new service

TiVo and Yahoo have launched a new joint service that allows TiVo users to set their digital TV recorders remotely from Yahoo's website.

The agreement will also mean that, in future, TiVo users will be able to access other Yahoo services, such as weather updates, on their TV screens.

TiVo's shares rose 6% in Monday trading following the announcement but some analysts were unconvinced.

They say TiVo will keep losing ground to rival digital TV recorder providers.

Cable and satellite TV companies are increasingly offering their own digital recorders, such as BSkyB's Sky+ system.

Slowing subscriber growth

Under TiVo's agreement with Yahoo, its subscribers will be able to set their TV recorders from any Yahoo website.

The scheme is available to TiVo users with a Series2 box and a standard Yahoo ID.

TiVo's latest results, released in August, showed that its number of new fee-paying subscribers in the second quarter of this year fell to 254,000, down from 288,000 for the same period in 2004.

The Wall Street Journal said on Monday that Yahoo and rival Google were also preparing to launch their own mobile phone services, with Yahoo entering into partnership with telecoms firm SBC.

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