PacificNet iMobile, TiVo Greater China Team on PVR/DVR

By Spencer D. Chin

TMCnet Web Editor

 

PacificNet Inc., a provider of gaming technology, e-commerce and CRM services in China, announced that its subsidiary, PacificNet iMobile, has entered an agreement with TiVo Greater China (TGC) to market their PVR/DVR products and services in China.

 

Under this agreement, PacificNet iMobile will promote and distribute TGC products in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou as well as other major cities in China. PacificNet iMobile will expand its marketing channel from online sales to user trial activities. Leveraging PacificNet iMobile's ecommerce expertise in China and TGC's advanced technology and sales support, the two companies will provide quality PVR/DVR products to consumers across China.

 

TiVo devices have evolved steadily with many new features such as DVD recording, commercial skip capability, sharing of recordings over the Internet, and programming and remote control using PDAs, networked PCs, or Web browsers. TiVo can be set to auto-record according to a programming timetable with 80GB of memory for up to 90 hours of recording.

 

PacificNet iMobile currently has about 200 staff in China and operates its e-commerce business via two internet portals, "www.iMobile.com.cn" and "www.18900.com", and a WAP portal, "17wap.com", for mobile phone browsing. iMobile has the largest mobile user community in China, with over 3.4 million registered users while "18900.com" is the leading Internet e-commerce distributor of mobile products in China with logistic centers and partners covering 25 provinces and 72 major cities throughout China and service coverage for 1875 cities in China.

 

In addition, iMobile's "18900.com" is the designated Internet distributor for Motorola, Nokia (News - Alert), and NEC's mobile products in China.

 

Liu Lei, PacificNet iMobile's general manager, stated, "We are pleased to become partners of TiVo Greater China (TGC) and to help them promote their products in mainland China. TGC PVR provides interactive personal entertainment services through existing broadband and cable TV networks. With a PVR, viewers are no longer constrained by the timetable of TV programs as broadcast by TV stations. Instead, PVR users can view whatever they want, whenever they want to watch it. We will use our expertise to help TGC boost its sales and increase its popularity among consumers in China."

 

"We believe that the opportunity to work with one of the leading consumer video electronics providers in the world is substantial," said Victor Tong, president of PacificNet. "PacificNet iMobile has demonstrated its ability to support a wide range of online and offline marketing initiatives. With the growing demand for innovative consumer electronics in China, we feel that the potential to generate strong revenue from this relationship is significant.”