TiVo's Future in the UK

There has been a lot of information in the press about TiVo abandoning the UK. Much of this is factually incorrect or ambiguous so I hope to clear some of this up here by quoting information direct from TiVo rather than rumor or speculation.

Firstly TiVo have not abandoned the UK. Thomson have now stopped manufacturing the current TiVo hardware in the UK. TiVo continue to provide a service to existing TiVo owners, and continue to provide customer support.

What do TiVo have to say about this?

TiVo say: "Nothing is changing for TiVo subscribers in the UK. We'll continue to provide the TiVo service, and we're glad to have you as subscribers. As far as the overhead of supporting the UK, you might remember this summer when I mentioned that we'd significantly improved our throughput in publishing the UK service. We're running quite efficiently. And we're talking with partners, old and new, about what's next in the UK. There's nothing imminent to announce, so don't start the countdown yet. But there are several things that might be interesting."
Source: Bob Pony, TiVo. 19 Nov 2002.

TiVo say: "there are no plans for a UK withdrawal. Thomson's not building more units at present, but TiVo continues to provide the service for everyone, and has no plans to change that."
Source: Bob Pony, TiVo. 13 Dec 2002.

What about support for my existing TiVo?

TiVo say: "If you mean support as in 'warranty support of the hardware'...Thomson has not stepped away from that responsibility at all. If you meant support as in 'continue to provide the TiVo service'...TiVo hasn't stepped away from that either."
Source: Bob Pony, TiVo. 22 Nov 2002.

TiVo say they will "continue to support the service indefinitely" in the UK.
Source: Mike Ramsey, TiVo. TiVo Press Conference @ CES 2003, 9 Jan 2003.

Why did Thomson stop producing their TiVo hardware?

TiVo say: "Series1 was a great product, and a good place to start. But it did not provide a sustainable business model. It was too expensive to manufacture. Times have changed, and we've learned a lot. The technology in Series2 is much newer, and cost effective. And our manufacturing processes have been refined to a great degree from the early days. Series2 creates a sustainable business. Series1, with it's required subsidies, did not."
Source: Bob Pony, TiVo. 15 Jan 2003.

Where can I now buy a TiVo?

I can't really help you with this. As Thomson have now stopped manufacture finding TiVo's is quite hard. Shop around - some places have TiVo's at knock down prices. Currys, Dixons, and Comet are a good start, and can normally check their computer for stock in their other stores. Also try John Lewis and Power House. New and used TiVo's can also often be found on eBay.co.uk - below are some of the TiVo items for sale their at the moment: