most of the adds were MSO models and modest retail growth. However, looking at the real numbers and especially reading Ira Bahrs' (former Dish Marketing, now TiVo's CMO), it is clear, the Bolt is TiVo's Hail Mary pass that if it does not do well, the inferences is that TiVo will most likely leave the retail side of its business. Even Ira cites how very puny its subscriber count is and makes the remark "considering the millions and tens of millions of DVR's out there, we [TiVo] have a lot ground to catch up." He future stated that the future of TiVo depends upon, not its current subscribers, but getting lots and lots of NEW subscribers, which brings us to the next paragraph.
Further, the Bolt's sassy box design is (a bent box design) not at all intended to appeal to TiVo's current subs (who mostly hate it), but to appeal to the new/younger generation of NEW subscribers who are willing to pay the new outrageous pricing scheme AFTER you buy one of the boxes for hundreds of dollars: first year of service FREE, then monthly after that, or the All-in (formerly Lifetime) priced at the new higher $599 and no longer offering a discount after the first box. Go to the TiVo website and price out how TiVo seems to have engineered the Bolt's failure to save the retail side of TiVo's business.
Interestingly, ol' Tom Rogers has now resigned as CEO and will be non-executive chairman of the board while another board member takes over day to day (usually in the interest of stock holders) until a new CEO is found. The timing on this is strange as, to me, it seems the dance a company makes before its board and other officers cash out their stock because everything has to be in place for the limited window they will have to sell.
Sorry, but even as a TiVo owner, I see the Bolt failing miserably, with TiVo having to leave the retail business within a year. I just hope that considering TiVo's adequate MSO business side and it foreign business, I hope TiVo would kindly keep our retail DVR's still functioning as DVR's at the very least. We shall have to see.
