First tipped by SHN last month the new EPG service appears to be a monopoly among free to air TV stations, as both Foxtel and several makers of set top boxes that allow content to be recorded and then played back with advertising being skipped are being denied access to the service. A spoksperson for the Nine Network was not available to comment.
The commercial station service, which enables consumers to automate the recording of their favourite TV shows on all free-to-air networks using digital recording platforms, is expected to boost TV viewing by making it easier for people to watch shows when it suits them.
According to The Australian newspaper, the launch implies tacit support from the Nine and Ten networks, as well as regional players such as Prime and WIN, for the Seven Network-backed TiVo digital video recording platform, which will have access to the program listings, along with other DVRs, if manufacturers agree to certain conditions.
