Businessweek

ox, and discover new shows with these devices. And when in the home, these devices could act as a remote control for their TiVo boxes. TiVo and Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) The company offers advanced DVRs in the U.K. Set-top boxes equipped with DVRs digitally record television programming to a hard disk in real-time, which allows customers to play-back, pause, fast-forward, or rewind the program at any point during or for a period after the broadcast. The company offers the Virgin Media TiVo service, which is a ‘next generation’ entertainment set-top box and is available in both 1 TB and 500 GB sizes, with the 1 TB version recording approximately 500 hours of television, and brings together television, VOD, and Web video services through a single set-top box and features content discovery and personalization tools. As of December 31, 2012, the company had approximately 1.3 million TiVo customers. Under a strategic partnership agreement, TiVo is the provider of user interface software for the company’s next generation set-top boxes, which provide converged television and broadband Internet capabilities, and it is the distributor of TiVo services and technology in the U.K. The previous Virgin Media DVR called the ‘V+ set-top box’, was available to its DTV customer base and is being phased out in favor of TiVo boxes. The V+ set-top box has 160 GB of hard disk storage space (approximately 80 hours of broadcast television), is HD-enabled and has 3 tuners, allowing viewers to record 2 programs while watching a third. The company’s V+ set top box customers with a HD-compatible television could also access its HD on-demand content. As of December 31, 2012, it had approximately 1.2 million V+ set-top box customers. Virgin TV On Demand The company’s VOD service, Virgin TV On Demand, provides its customers with instant access to a selection of premium movies, television programs, music videos, and other on-demand content, including live PPV events. Content is available in broadcast SD, HD, and in 3D. Its HD content is available to its TV customers (excluding analogue TV customers) who have a HD box, in line with their subscription at no additional charge. The primary categories of content available within Virgin TV On Demand are television programming, movies (on a PPV and premium subscription basis), and music videos. A selection of content, including the company’s ‘catch-up’ television service, is available free of charge to its TV customers. The BBC iPlayer is the major service it offers, enabling viewers to view approximately 700 hours of BBC programs. Virgin TV's Catch Up On Demand service also includes content from 4OD, Demand Five, and ITV Player. Subscription VOD The company also offers its television customers basic subscription VOD or SVOD, with a selection of content that increases in volume in line with the customer's DTV subscription tier. Sky On Demand is added to the service, allowing customers to access approximately 1,000 hours of television content from across Sky's range of basic channels, and approximately 500 movie titles being made available as a bonus to Sky Movies subscribers. This movie on-demand service joined the existing premium subscription based movie on-demand service ‘PictureBox’. Other content providers include WarnerTV, BBC Worldwide Limited, Sony, Viacom Inc., NBCU, and AETN. Tailored advertising is also inserted across various providers within the basic TV SVOD and free catch-up services. The VOD package also includes a music video service featuring approximately 5,000 tracks, which is available to subscribers to its major tier television package at no extra cost or to lower tier customers on a pay per transaction basis. The movie on-demand service has both premium SVOD and Transactional VOD or TVOD components. Virgin Movies The company’s pay-per-transaction movie service, FilmFlex, was rebranded as Virgin Movies in September 2012, with Virgin Media taking control of scheduling and marketing the transactional VOD service. It offers a 500 titles from all the major studios, the majority of which are available for rent on the same day as their DVD release. In 20