TiVo Links Up With EarthLink

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Anybody who's been searching around Fool.com for recent word on TiVo (Nasdaq: TIVO) knows the company's been busy generating press releases here lately. Here's another one to add to the list: TiVo and EarthLink (Nasdaq: ELNK) are teaming up to offer EarthLink's DSL subscribers the TiVo service.

EarthLink and TiVo will provide the bundled service to subscribers who have both EarthLink's DSL service and TiVo's Series 2 Dual Tuner DVR. It's a no-brainer that the press release pointed out that this development segues into the compatibility between TiVo and Amazon.com's (Nasdaq: AMZN) Unbox.

As much as TiVo may be press-release happy these days, it doesn't seem to me that this is as significant as some of TiVo's other recent high-profile news items. Take, for example, TiVo's move towards Macs with its partnership with Sonic Solutions' (Nasdaq: SNIC) Roxio, which will allow people who have Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) computers to use the TiVoToGo service. (As someone with a Mac and a TiVo, I'm personally very glad to hear this is finally coming.)

Although EarthLink boasts serving more than 5 million subscribers, it's still in the process of trying to migrate its customers to its DSL offerings from its premium dial-up services. According to EarthLink's most recent 10-K, it had 1.9 million broadband subscribers. By way of comparison, Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) boasted 11 million high-speed Internet customers in its latest annual filing, and Verizon (NYSE: VZ) provided 7 million broadband connections (including both DSL and FiOS Internet services) at the end of 2006. So we're dealing with a relatively small user base, and there's no telling how many of those also happen to have TiVo or harbor any temptation to get TiVo.

Adding EarthLink as a partner may be small potatoes, but it sure does seem that TiVo's eager to show the world that it's not standing still when it comes to differentiating its service. Nobody's forgotten it has tons of competitors that provide digital video recorders. And while all TiVo's copious announcements may lend some reason for positive sentiment (the Unbox agreement seems particularly promising), TiVo's approaching quarterly earnings announcement will give investors much more to chew on when it comes to TiVo's outlook.

• Catch up on TiVo's forecast as its fourth-quarter report approaches.
• What's this about Amazon and TiVo?
• Fool David Lee Smith took a look at TiVo's ample press announcements.

TiVo and Amazon.com are Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendations. Find out the latest stocks David and Tom Gardner have recommended to subscribers by taking a 30-day free trial.

Alyce Lomax does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned.