TiVo wins Mobi TV bankruptcy auction

Jon Kirchner

TiVo parent company Xperi is to acquire the assets of pay TV video delivery solutions provider MobiTV following the vendor’s recently announced Chapter 11 bankruptcy process.

Mobi TV’s full TV platform encompasses live and on-demand content, along with network recording functionality and transport rights.

Xperi said that the MobiTV solution provides an “attractive extension” of TiVo’s IPTV pay TV service. The purchase will also increase TiVo’s IPTV penetration with US pay TV operators, with TiVo to launch a branded app-based pay TV service.

Jon Kirchner, chief executive officer of Xperi, said: “The acquisition of the MobiTV assets immediately expands our capabilities and the addressable market for our IPTV solutions, helping to secure TiVo’s position as a leading provider of Pay-TV solutions. As a result, the acquisition of MobiTV’s managed service assets will help accelerate our growth in the IPTV market through an increased subscriber footprint.”

The Emeryville-based MobiTV filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 1. It cited between US$10-50 million in assets and US$50-100 million in liabilities. The bankruptcy auction was reportedly hotly contested with interested parties including Roku. TiVo’s winning bid stood at a reported US$18.5 million