Google Licenses Rovi's Guide Patents For Fiber TV Service

Google signed a multiyear patent-licensing deal with Rovi covering the latter's interactive program guide patent portfolio for set-top boxes, as well as online and mobile platforms, in relation to Google's forthcoming Fiber TV service in the Kansas City market.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Last week Google opened up registration for its 1 Gigabit per second Internet fiber-to-the-home service -- as well as a companion IPTV service that currently lists a 161-channel lineup -- to be available in Kansas City, Kan., and central Kansas City, Mo.

"Our agreement with Google continues the growth and relevance of our patent licensing program for not only traditional platforms, but also new media experiences across multiple screens," Samir Armaly, executive vice president of worldwide intellectual property and licensing, said in a statement. "We are pleased that the relevance of our intellectual property in this space continues to be recognized by leading companies such as Google."

Rovi is scheduled to report second-quarter earnings Thursday. The company last month told investors it would miss Q2 revenue and earnings targets and lowered full-year 2012 expectations, citing product delays and an inability to reach patent-licensing deals.