TiVo and TVMentor Partner to Improve the Quality of Children's TV Viewing

Nov. 29 -- TiVo today partnered with TVMentor, Inc., to offer families enhanced television viewing services. Beginning in early 2001, the TiVo Service will include TVMentor's child-centered program evaluations that helps parents make informed decisions about the television programs their kids watch. TVMentor's evaluations, determined by a panel of education and child development experts, will add to TiVo's exclusive editorial programming. It will be featured as part of TiVolution Magazine, TiVo's on-screen entertainment guide providing recommended programming and current information on the best in TV.
Continuing TiVo's commitment to deliver better TV to consumers, TVMentor's groundbreaking service will give consumers access to detailed television content evaluations highlighting programs parents may find objectionable, as well as highlighting programming parents may find enriching. With the addition of TVMentor, busy parents will now be able to easily identify appropriate television content for their families and record the programs they want. Parents will access TVMentor's content evaluations from TiVolution Magazine's on-screen menu and from there, will be able to select and record children and family programs of choice. In addition, after reading content evaluations, parents can use TiVo's unique Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down buttons to teach TiVo what shows they like and dislike for their children. Using these preferences, TiVo automatically records programs parents may want their children to see.

"TiVo Service lets consumers watch what they want, when they want. Now with the addition of TVMentor's content evaluation service, TiVo provides additional value to parents, making it even easier to find, select and watch programs children and the rest of the family will enjoy," said Howard Look, vice president, TiVo Studios, TiVo. "TVMentor recognizes the transforming power of personalized television and together, we are giving parents the power to improve the quality of their family's viewing experience."

TVMentor's team of expert "mentors" review program content across 39 program qualities: 27 that have a potentially harmful effect on your child, and 12 that have a potentially beneficial effect. TVMentor identifies educational programming and identifies controversial content such as sex and violence. The result is a powerful alternative to traditional "one-size-fits-all" ratings systems. TVMentor's proprietary system was developed with the oversight of leading experts in education, media studies, medicine, and developmental psychology. In addition, teachers, parents and others with expertise in education and child development review each program.

"As a parent, it's critical for me to make informed choices about my child's television viewing," said Stephan Fopeano, CEO of TVMentor. "TVMentor provides me and other parents with the information needed to make sound decisions about the programs our children watch. With TiVo, we take this service one step further and not only educate parents about content, but also allow them to easily find and record the programs they deem appropriate for their children."

The TiVo Service
The TiVo Service is the most advanced and easy to use personal TV service available today. It digitally records television shows, without videotape, so you can watch what you want, when you want to watch it. The TiVo Service was designed to make it easy for consumers to find and record the programs they want, with new service capabilities and enhancements delivered to recorders automatically.

TiVo offers customers a choice in service options, with the option to pay as you go or pay no monthly fees. A lifetime subscription to the TiVo service without monthly fees can be purchased with a single payment of $199. For customers who want to keep their up front costs to a minimum, Personal TV is available as a monthly subscription to the TiVo service for $9.95

With Season Passes, The TiVo Service can automatically find and record your favorite shows every time they air, even if the network lineup changes. A unique attribute of the Service is its ability to recommend shows that match your interests through TiVo's Suggestions; no other personal TV service can deliver this level of personalization to viewers. The TiVo Service also includes exclusive editorial programming such as TiVolution Magazine -- an on-screen entertainment guide with recommended programming each week and Network Showcases -- a forum for TiVo's network partners to highlight upcoming programs and specialized content and TiVo Takes a weekly interactive video program.

About TiVo, Inc.
TiVo is the creator of the personal television service. Founded in 1997 with the mission to dramatically improve consumers' television viewing experiences, TiVo developed a technology that serves as a platform for delivering a variety of home entertainment services. TiVo's Personal TV Service simplifies the way we watch and enjoy television by digitally recording television shows, without videotape, so you can watch what you want, when you want to watch it. TiVo was the first to deliver on the promise of consumer choice and control over TV viewing, building a loyal and passionate subscriber. TiVo's leadership is grounded in its ability to forge critical partnerships, working together with the giants of the media, technology, consumer electronics, and television industries. Industry support of TiVo is reflected in its partner roster that includes AOL, Blockbuster, BSkyB, DIRECTV, Philips, SONY, and the leading cable and network television companies. Today, the TiVo Service is available in the United States on the Philips Personal TV Recorder and the Sony Digital Network Recorder in nearly 3500 consumer electronics retail and online outlets and in the UK under the Thomson Scenium brand. TiVo is headquartered in San Jose, CA. with offices in Los Angeles, CA. Additional information can be found at www.tivo.com.

About TVMentor
TVMentor is a privately held company founded in 1999 whose mission is to support and enhance parents' ability to guide the intellectual, emotional, social, and physical growth and well being of their children. In addition to content descriptions, TVMentor's personalization platform enables parents to quickly and easily set viewing preferences for an individual child. The customized selections reflect the parents' values, as well as the child's age, grade and interests. Other advanced features include TV allowances and "No-TV" hours. TVMentor software is compatible with existing cable and satellite iTV infrastructure. The company is currently located in Los Angeles and New York. Additional information can be found at www.tvmentor.com.

Source: TiVo Inc.