TiVo Refreshes License With Samsung to Aid Customer Relations

TiVo Corporation TIVO recently announced that a new multi-year patent license agreement has been signed by Rovi Corporation with Samsung. Per the deal, Rovi’s video discovery patents and technologies will be used across Samsung’s smartphone and tablet devices.

With this agreement, TiVo intends to enhance customer’s multimedia experience by adding value to current and future Samsung products.

Notably, the merger of Rovi with TiVo has brought together two of the leading players in the media entertainment industry, which has complementary products and services and a number of patented technologies.

The new TiVo has now become the global leader in entertainment technology and audience insights. The combined company has nearly 5,500 issued and pending patents, offering it a competitive edge against media and tech giants.

Relationship With Samsung

TiVo’s association with Samsung dates back to 2010 when the two companies partnered to build an advanced high definition PVR set-top box for digital video broadcasting (DVB) operators.

However, in 2015, TiVo sued Samsung for patent infringement, alleging that Samsung DVRs violated four of its patents.

Nonetheless, in a bid to settle the disputes, in November 2016, both companies signed a contract that provided Samsung with the rights to use TiVo’s patent portfolio in mobile, consumer electronic and set-top box businesses.

Talking about Samsung, Rovi Corporation’s executive vice president and chief intellectual property officer, Arvin Patel, stated that “Samsung is one of the most recognized and revered brands in the world. We are excited to build on our tremendous relationship with Samsung as they continue to innovate across their smartphone and tablet product lines.”

TiVo Corporation Revenue (TTM)

TiVo Corporation Revenue (TTM) | TiVo Corporation Quote

Financial Impact

Revenues from Samsung are reported in the Product segment and the Intellectual Property Licensing segment.

TiVo’s revenues in the fourth quarter of 2016 soared 68.7% year over year to $252.3 million, mainly owing to the inclusion of the first full quarter of TiVo business and revenues from Samsung’s licensing agreement.

The licence deal executed during fourth-quarter 2016 with Samsung, per the company, included significant catch-up payments intended to make it whole for the pre-license period of use.

However, it is important to note that IP Licensing revenues declined approximately 25.7% year over year in the last reported quarter due to soft revenues from out-of-license settlements.

We, therefore, anticipate the current agreement to generate significant revenues from licensing, which account for 95% of the company’s total revenues.

Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to Consider

TiVo currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Some other top-ranked stocks in the broader Computer and Technology sector are CACI International CACI, Intel INTC and Symantec Corporation SYMC, both sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Long-term earnings growth rate for CACI, Intel and Symantec is projected at 10%, 8.42% and 7.9%, respectively.

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