In 2005 TiVo released the first series of advertising features to a random and limited number of subscribers to the digital-video recorder service. The first test feature--a tag--pops up on the screen when a viewer is fast-forwarding through an advertisement.
If viewers press the thumbs-up or select button during the half second the tag is displayed, they will be redirected to a menu that leads to more information about the advertised product. The tag takes up about 25 percent of the screen, according to the company. TiVo said it is working with only one advertiser, a movie studio, on the trial balloon.
TiVo has been developing interactive advertising technology for some time, and while advertising accounts for just a fraction of TiVo's overall revenue, it will most likely become more substantial. The interactive features would give advertisers information on consumer interest and, possibly, better access to couch potatoes.
Does that mean that TiVo doesn't live up to its promise anymore? I mean, if TiVo promises consumers control over their TV program - also in the sense that they can switch advertisement - then this latest move clearly goes contrarily to this promise.
Posts
I've seriously been considering the purchase of a TiVo unit. I've been debating between TiVo and a DVR unit from Dish Network. After reading this article I can definitely say that TiVo is out of the picture. I'm tired of paying monthly service fees and getting hit with ads on top of it.
ReplyDeleteTake cable or Satelite TV for instance. You have to pay a monthly fee for the service and very few channels are commercial free, sometimes none depending on the monthly plan chosen. Why are we paying in order to have commercials on our channels. Commercials should be for free TV only, as in broadcast TV.
I'm getting so sick and tired of being bombarded with ads everywhere I turn. Sports events and stadiums now have commercial names attached to them. Email and websites are loaded with ads. I can understand it for any free service, for it's now infiltrating pay services and I guess we just keep putting up with it like dumb sheep.
Enough is enough already!!
Dennis
I knew there was a reason that I did not buy a Tivo. It just seems fishy to me that I need to buy a box to record television programs and then get hit up for a monthly fee. Now there is intrusive advertising to boot?!? Give me a break! It only does analog TV anyway, so these boxes will be useless in less than two years. (That is just what I told someone this weekend. He thanked me for the tip and left the store without buying.)
ReplyDeleteThe beauty of the VCR is that once you buy one, there is no monthly fee. You can use it as much as you want -- until it wears out. This is why VCR's became so popular -- they are cheap and reliable. As far as I can tell, a Tivo is no better than a VCR. Therefore, I will not be wasting my money on this foolishness.