TiVo To Launch 'Guru Guide'

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 6/5/2006

Alviso, Calif. — TiVo is planning to incorporate into its Series 2 digital video recorders a new programming option using recommendations from leading news and entertainment magazines and Web publications.

The feature, which TiVo calls “Guru Guide,” will be available to subscribers “in the coming weeks,” and will allow TiVo users to read recommendations for upcoming programs from a variety of “entertainment authorities,” and then program the DVR to automatically record the telecast a viewer finds appealing.

TiVo will position Guru Guide recommendations as “a virtual channel” containing recommendations of various reviewers.

Reviews will come from Entertainment Weekly, Star, Sports Illustrated, Automobile, Billboard, CNET and others.

Reviews and recommendations will be offered for popular television categories including sports, films, music, comedies, drama and more.

TiVo said viewers will have the option to automatically record Guru Guide recommendations via the company's online scheduling feature.

Each TiVo Guru Guide recommendation will offer between five and 10 programs of television per week and will be updated at least once per month.