Consumer Watch: The Battle for Breakfast

Starbucks battles for breakfast -- and TiVo fans have something to look forward to.

Ninette Sosa explains in Consumer Watch.

THE BREAKFAST WARS ARE ON! STARBUCKS IS TRYING TO ENTICE CUSTOMERS WITH HEALTHIER BREAKFAST ITEMS, INCLUDING OATMEAL, A "POWER PROTEIN PLATE" AND FRUIT-AND-NUT BARS.

THE COMPANY SAYS THE NEW ITEMS ARE HIGH IN WHOLE GRAINS, FIBER AND OMEGA-THREE FATS AND LOW IN CALORIES. STARBUCKS' CHAIRMAN RECENTLY SAID IN A MAGAZINE ARTICLE THAT HE WAS QUOTE - "EMBARRASSED" BY THE FOOD AT STARBUCKS AND VOWED IT WOULD BE REINVENTED BY THE FALL.

 THE MOVE COMES AS THE COMPETITION FOR MORNING BUSINESS HEATS UP. MCDONALD'S HAS RECENTLY STEPPED UP ITS PREMIUM-COFFEE OFFERINGS, WHILE DUNKIN' DONUTS HAS ADDED EGG-WHITE FLATBREAD SANDWICHES.

FANS OF TIVO AND T-V HAVE SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO! THE COMPANY ANNOUNCED IT IS DEVELOPING A DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDER FOR SATELLITE T-V PROVIDER DIRECTV.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT REKINDLES A STRAINED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE COMPANIES. DIRECTV WAS ONCE THE BIGGEST SOURCE OF NEW SUBSCRIBERS FOR TIVO, BUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP SOURED IN 2005 WHEN DIRECTV ANNOUNCED IT WOULDN'T MARKET TIVO'S SET-TOP BOXES, INSTEAD USING ITS OWN SYSTEM. HOWEVER, THE COMPANIES DIDN'T SEVER TIES, AND TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT INCLUDED NEWS OF AN EXTENDED DEAL.

THE PRODUCT LAUNCH IS EXPECTED NEXT YEAR. FOR CONSUMER WATCH, I'M NINETTE SOSA.