TiVo's going to Japan

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TiVo's going to Japan

All we have now is a headline that reads "TiVo to launch in Japan by 2006 - report" and this short blurb:

TiVo Inc. is expected to launch its digital recording service in Japan as early as next year, according to a published report Sunday. The Alviso, Calif.-based company will form a Japanese unit and is looking to partner with local cable television networks and Internet providers as part of the deal, reported the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

We believe the headline to be an imperative statement, telling reporters to do their job and publish some details on this story; there's not a lot more in the new about this story yet. We'll update this post when new details (by which we mean any details) emerge. One question remains: do the Japanese even like gadgets?

by George Hotelling March 20, 2005 in News, TiVo

Comments

ha! but tivo is going to have to shrink down the size of their box. Way to big for the Japanese market.

Posted by: ironmonkey at Mar 20, 2005 11:14:54 AM

Now that the FCC has pushed full implementation of CableCARD back by another year, the Comcast deal and other deals with other TV providers is crucial to TiVo.

TiVo hasn't signed up a Japanese cable carrier yet, otherwise the press release would have mentioned that fact.

But obviously TiVo thinks now is the right time to try to get into the Japanese market. Not making standalones, presumably, but by making deals directly with the cable TV companies.

Posted by: David Deane at Mar 20, 2005 11:21:56 AM

Well, posting this from my Treo, hanging out on vacation in FL.

I've been commenting on this for a while. TiVo has made a few comments about expanding overseas. They said something a few quarterly calls back. And if you watch their careers page they've been hiring people to implement the UI in other languages - including Japanese.

So it has been a matter of when they'd launch, not if. My personal expectation is that this will involve Humax for HW.

Posted by: MegaZone at Mar 20, 2005 1:10:29 PM

Tivo has had a japan website up for sometime, and has been hiring UI designers with Japanese language ability for a while also.

http://www.tivo.jp/

Posted by: ptivo at Mar 20, 2005 4:38:12 PM

Anyone have a subscription to the Nikkei? The article is here: http://www.nni.nikkei.co.jp/AC/TNKS/Nni20050320D20JFF04.htm

Linked from here: http://www.nni.nikkei.co.jp/

Posted by: MegaZone at Mar 20, 2005 5:55:10 PM

Ah, what the hell, I used my credit card to register and posted the article (which doesn't have much detail) here: http://www.livejournal.com/community/tivolovers/142669.html

Posted by: MegaZone at Mar 20, 2005 6:27:11 PM

What would be more useful is if TiVo could be arsed relaunching in the UK :(

Posted by: neuro at Mar 20, 2005 6:55:40 PM

"What would be more useful is if TiVo could be arsed relaunching in the UK :("

Something tells me this will happen soon enough; it's just a question of finding new partners for TiVo in the UK.

Still can't figure out why Canada is still a "foreign" country to TiVo; it's practically part of the same market as the USA, yet is not supported.

Posted by: David Deane at Mar 20, 2005 9:10:32 PM

It's a pity that TiVo Corp isn't going to launch its digital recording service in Australia any time soon. We have a free trade agreement in place with the US, yet our market is dominated by 1 PayTV provider who is also the only Company to distribute PVR's nation wide. The rest of the market is taken by little know Chinese brands with no guide data. It's still a set and hope for the best here down under.

Posted by: Robert Talbot at Mar 20, 2005 9:15:04 PM

I can't believe they would sell in Japan when they haven't even entered the Canadian market! WTF?!? I'm practically sitting here with my open wallet, begging and they ignore us!

Let's hope it does well in Japan though.

Posted by: warrenpeace at Mar 21, 2005 8:44:50 AM

So, TIVO is already ALSO working on a project in Chino, called TGC, TIVO GREATER CHINA. They have been ramping up funding for this already as an external invertment.

THAT would be a market, someday

Posted by: nike at Mar 21, 2005 9:32:00 AM

While I am a huge fan of TiVo in the U.S., I cannot imagine how they can successfully sell in Japan. I think it is too late to join the market. The thing is, there have already been many PVRs out there and more importantly Cable is not the primary option in Japan. We'll see.

Posted by: nh at Mar 21, 2005 11:17:11 PM

The Japs will love TiVo. They will embrace the funny looking cute TiVo guy like they do every other silly looking character.

Posted by: Jack Mehoff at Mar 22, 2005 7:13:31 PM

Many american companies that have miserably failed in japan must have been run by someone like Jack Mehoff.
Retard like him never gets why he always ends up failing in Japan. Poor guy.

Posted by: nh at Mar 22, 2005 8:10:40 PM

Uh, I don't want to get in the middle of this little spat, but 'japs' is not the appropriate term and more than a little racist. WWII is over. Alright, honky?

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Posted by: Anand at Oct 14, 2005 9:31:31 PM

I have lived in Japan for 21 years, and let me assure you that yes indeed, the Japanese do dearly love their gadgets, but only if they prove to be practical, or fun, preferably both. Every morning on my train commute to work I see 25-year old 'office ladies' texting on cell phones sitting next to 50 year old businessmen playing white PSPs or Advanced Game Boys while both listen to their iPod Nanos.
I work in telecommunications as a system engineer (undersea cables, internatinal carrier systems) and some of the posts here touch on the reality, that cable is not the primary television delivery medium in Japan, but that is changing rapidly.
Almost every household has either cable or a satellite dish, and most have HDD recorders with built in DVD burners for about $250 (sound familiar?). The costs of TiVo will not be an issue.
The problem is accessing the different broadcasters' schedules/licensing for their programs, most of which they produce themselves (other than movies) in a VERY competive environment combined with access to a variety of programming.
Even those with cable or satellite dishes can only get a maximum of perhaps 25 to 30 channels, many of which are paid services (like the Disney Channel, movie channels, etc.) - compare that with the more than 400 my sister gets in the backwaters of Michigan! With that limited number of channels, will TiVo still be practical? I think it will be.
We have DSL at speeds up to 50Mb/s (urban population density = short telephone lines to exchange offices) and many houses (again, usually near train lines or provided by the power company) have 100Mb/s optical cable feeds directly to their home/apartment.
Everything in Japan is influenced by the scarcity of urban real estate, and the government broadcasting regulatory bodies are very careful to avoid monopolistic services, especially after the success of opening up the telephone market and the resultant lowered rates for the average telephone user.
There is PLENTY of empty land in Japan, but everyone likes to live in closely packed communities for easy access to the cities' jobs, social life, etc. (I think this relates some to the fact that as recent as 150 years ago, this was a closed feudalistic society, like Europe in the 1200's. One big castle on the hill with a warlord ruling an independent fiefdom, fear and distrust of strangers, and a closely knit community of farmers - no merchant class).
Laying cables for TV means either digging up the ground (disturbing closely packed housing) or using overhead utiility poles (nearly all owned by NTT - Japanese 'Ma Bell'). NTT's request to provide cable services has been turned down by the government as being 'monopolistic', since NTT is already offering a large public communications service (telephones).
So a cable service company rent space in available cable conduits (power lines, railroads, waterways) or renting space on NTT poles. Since NTT can not enter this lucrative market, they have set exhorbitant pole space rental rates so high that no company can make any profit after paying it, creating a stalemate between public demand, government control, and NTT's business plans (NTT hopes that public demand will eventually tip the balance in their favor). As a result, few households have cable TV unless they are fortunate enough to live near a major train line.
But the entertainment environment here is very active, and extremely lucrative, and TiVo offers something exciting and useful - it will do well, and if it is partnered with Sony, they will make TONS of money. I know I will sign up for it (now if I could just get cable....).
One of the most bewildering facets of Japan is that while it leads the world in producing many leading edge technologies (at least marketing them better), a lot of this technology is unavailable to the Japanese consumer. Consumer services are better in mainland China.
Go figure - Japan is very safe, secure, has jobs, an unbelievable low crime rate, socialized health services (with no waiting! - sorry, my friends in the UK), very high retirement payout (social security), excellent local government support services, trains and buses that can put you within 15 minutes' of walking distance to ANYWHERE, but it is VERY BORING unless you are young enough to go clubbing every night.
But it still beats Kalamazoo!

Posted by: CaviteKalbo at Dec 7, 2005 5:36:22 PM

TiVo's going to Japan

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