Midcontinent Rolls Out TiVo as Hub of Next-Generation Advanced TV Offering

Midcontinent Communications is bringing TiVo home to its subscriber base.

The cable operator has begun deploying its next generation whole home television experience with TiVo at the core to its customers in Rapid City and the Northern Black Hills in South Dakota. Those areas are the first in Midcontinent's 300,000-customer footprint to have access to the TiVo offering followed by Minnesota, North Dakota and the remaining South Dakota markets in the coming months.

TiVo’s Premiere Q series DVR will serve as the entertainment hub, from which subscribers will be able to opt into the vendor’s new complementary offerings. TiVo Mini, a companion low-cost IP set-top, will extend the viewing of live TV, recorded and streaming content, as well as on-demand programming, to other rooms without an additional DVR. Moreover, TiVo Stream will allow customers to stream their favorite shows, both live and recorded, from Q series DVR simultaneously to multiple tablets or smartphones.

"Today marks an important day for our subscribers as they will be able to engage and enjoy a television viewing experience that's not confined to the living room but is dynamic," said Jon Pederson, Midcontinent's vice president of technology, in a statement. "The whole home experience powered by TiVo will give Midcontinent subscribers the ability to access all the content they want on any screen within the home, including secondary televisions, tablets and smartphones, through the same easy-to-use TiVo interface."

Noted David Sandford, vice president and general manager for TiVo's Service Provider Business: "Since we began working with Midcontinent, we've admired how acutely attuned they are to the competitive landscape around them. As a result, they have made it an immediate priority to provide their subscribers with the very best whole-home advanced television experience by turning to TiVo. Our ability to create a seamless television ecosystem that delivers any content consumers want -- wherever and whenever they want it -- combined with Midcontinent's commitment to implementing a solution for both today and tomorrow, made this collaboration a smart one. We look forward to seeing many new fans of TiVo in the region as our rollout progresses."

TiVo has varied customer relationships with such MSOs as Comcast, Charter, Suddenlink Communications, Mediacom Communications, RCN and GCI. TiVo’s biggest MSO customer by far is Virgin Media in the U.K.