Seven and TiVo have come together to bring the much sought after TiVo service to Australia.

WTF? They should have done this years ago and it seems, from the media release, that it’s only going to be available for free-to-air channels.

Seven Media Group will lead the creation of the digital platform to enable TiVo’s digital video recorder and service, including the award-winning TiVo user interface. The platform will be available for use by other broadcasters and broadband content owners to create a compelling, interactive, free to air digital terrestrial television offering. The TiVo® Service will be available across Australia and will include internationally recognized TiVo features like SeasonPass™ recordings and WishList® searches and allow users to access broadband content on their TV.

Honestly, if they were going to do this, why wouldn’t they try to make it a competitor to Foxtel’s IQ? Of course Seven, along with Ten, is still to sign up to digital rebroadcast through Foxtel.

Having two platforms competing for our attention would only be better for the consumers (us) and build uptake of such technologies.

TiVo, in the US, is a subscription-based service but gives its users access to all channels (pay and FTA). Will the people not taking up Foxtel be compelled enough to dive into this? Probably not if the FTA networks aren’t going to produce some amazing content.

Also, it seems to me that a large percentage of the population who would have been the first to take up a TiVo service have already purchased a PVR, built a media centre, download torrents, or have IQ.

If you were keen on hearing me (Josh) on Radio National last week but missed out, you can catch up on their website: www.abc.net.au/rn/breakfast.

Enjoy

***UPDATE***
And this morning’s piece is here (in the second section).

Big name guests! We gottem. (Queen Josie from Chartbusting 80s is in to tell us of her television adventures.)

Actual prizes for our listeners! We gottem. (Really, we do. No more joking around about this.)

Huge announcements! We gottem. (But I would rather not spoil the surprise.)

Also the Golden Age of Television takes a turn to the half-hour dramedy, Telstra ads are not bought and an international Crap TV.

It’s Boxcutters and it’s all about television.

It’s free to listen:

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And fun to respond: hooray@boxcutters.net

This came to me from Robert Boxcutter - thought it may help some of you who still use iTunes.

I know you don’t use iTunes anymore but this might be useful to put on the Boxcutters blog for people who have the occasional problem. You know how iTunes sometimes stuffs up and only downloads a portion of a podcast then it won’t let you download it again because it thinks you’ve already got it. Well if you collapse the list of the particular podcast in question then hold Shift on a PC or Option on a Mac then expand it again it will update the list and show you all the ones that you’ve deleted or need to re-download.

News just in from Nine:

The Nine Network Australia today announced Mick Molloy’s new television project, The Nation, will premiere on Tuesday, June 5 at 9.30pm.

Mick Molloy swaps his tracky daks for a snappy suit to sit at a desk and let rip with a topical, news-based program – with an edgy difference.

Every week The Nation will take a humorous look at the people and events making news. Mick will be joined at the news desk by a roster of comedians and entertainers as they dissect the real world of politics, current events, sport and entertainment.

“I promise that every episode will end with a dog that can ride a surfboard and do long division,” said Mick Molloy.

Stars of the airwaves such as 2Day-FM breakfast co-host Jackie O and Nova drive co-host Akmal Saleh will join Mick each week to review the news.

My favourite bit of this media release is “with an edgy difference”.

Anyone who has seen the Daria episode where her dad is supposed to be more “edgy” will know what I mean.

Placing bets now. I reckon it will last 5 weeks.

Donald Trump has announced there will be no more Apprentice. Despite apparent network keenness Trump is just too busy, although he hinted there may be another TV project in the works.

On the big show this week we have the always fabulous Marieke Hardy, spilling it to us mere mortals about what it is like writing television, writing about television and being on television.

We look at another dodgy scam trying to lure in people with bad credit history and low I.Q.s in I Don’t Buy It.

There is another installment of The Golden Age of Television, featuring two ripper HBO shows - Carnivale and Oz.

And we finally get to the much promised Letters To Boxcutters.

here7:

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here too: hooray@boxcutters.net

This week I mentioned a screencap of the balls returning to 9 now that Eddie’s going. Well, here it is, with a bonus pic:

and

Catbrain posted a missive from Crikey saying that David Gyngell was a contender for the throne at Nine.

However, e-news show us that Seven have their own theories about Lachlan Murdoch arising.

We welcome all speculation and rumour milling. Feel free to tell us what you’ve heard in our comments.

News from Channel 9 this morning that Eddie McGuire will no longer be CEO of the network.

This from the Nine media release:

Mr McGuire said he had greatly enjoyed the executive role but said: “I am of the view
that my best contribution to Nine is in the creative elements of the business and that has
prompted this change.”
“I am looking forward to the change in role and to continue working with the executive
team at Nine. I have made a commitment for the next 5 years and we have a clear
mandate to produce the best local content in Australia.”

Of course, there will be those of us (me) who will say “I told you so” but that’s not the point. Nine was in some trouble when McGuire took over and his job was to make it recover rather than make it worse.

It was a bad move all along. As far as Eddie’s “contribution to the creative elements” goes, well, I’d love to hear what you think that contribution entailed.