Macrovision buys TV Guide

Gemstar-TV Guide International will be bought by Macrovision in a deal worth $2.8 billion, Reuters says. The deal is unusual for several reasons; among these is the fact that Gemstar is actually larger than Macrovision, requiring the latter company to enter $800 million in new debt, which in turn has triggered a 25 percent drop in its stock. For most people, however, the deal is important because Macrovision is responsible for the CSS copy protection on DVDs, and Gemstar produces both TV Guide magazine and similarly-themed TV channels.

Macrovision says it intends to combine anti-piracy technology with Gemstar's interactive program guide, allowing users to quickly find and download photos and music in addition to movies and TV shows. "I want to take this movie, store it in my PC and then play it...in my daughter's bedroom TV," says Macrovision CEO Fred Amoroso.

Gemstar CEO Rich Battista says that the technology will be developed over the course of the next three to four years, at the end of which many personal electronics devices should have Internet connections. Users will in theory be able to bring up guides on their TVs and cellphones, and then read reviews or synopses before buying or renting media.

By Electronista Staff