TiVo has signed "a multi-year, multi-country, multi-million-unit" agreement with OEM manufacturer Vestel to launch the first TiVo Smart TVs in Europe in 2023.

Vestel is one of the top three European TV producers. The OEM manufacturer is producing or has at one point produced TVs for brands such as Electra, Finlux, Grundig, Hitachi, JVC, Medion, Panasonic, Polaroid, Strong, Toshiba and Thomson.

Through its partnership with Vestel, Xperi-owned TiVo expects to sell millions of TVs in Europe over a multi-year period. The first units are expected to ship in Europe in 2023 but TiVo also has its eyes on the US as evidenced by the first images of the TiVo user interface embedded below.

- "Vestel, aligned with is mission of being the ‘retailer of retailers,’ offers a wide range of choices to its customers in terms of Smart TV OS platforms," said Turan Erdoğan, CEO, Vestel. "TiVo, and its parent company Xperi, have a long history of both championing great customer experiences and creating entertainment ecosystems. We believe that the industry will benefit from a partner-oriented, independent media platform that provides the necessary scale, both in technology and content to satisfy the global media landscape. TiVo has a proven track record in making it easy for consumers to find, watch and enjoy the content they love. We’re excited about partnering with TiVo to provide a European-focused Vestel Smart TV Powered by TiVo OS to provide consumers the experience they want."


 TiVo Smart TV. Photo: Xperi

A neutral TV platform
TiVo said that unlike existing "walled gardens" the TiVo OS is "a first-of-its-kind neutral platform, aimed at giving original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) significantly more control over the user experience". 

Smart TVs powered by TiVo OS will offer apps such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Paramount+ and Pluto TV. They will feature a voice assistant, universal search, and customized "recommendations".

This includes ads: "Integrations with global advertising platforms create a sustainable, competitive advantage with more reach and ad revenue", the company states on its website. In other words a direct alternative to Android TV, Fire TV, LG webOS, Samsung Tizen and Roku.

Since Xperi also owns DTS and IMAX Enhanced it is likely that these components are part of the package, too.

Connected television (CTV) advertising is expected to grow from 16 billion USD to 36 billion USD by 2026.


 TiVo Smart TV. Photo: Vestel