Comments on: TiVo looks to tune in to advertisers

The company plans to unveil a new feature this fall that will bring Web-like, interactive ads to TV. But will advertisers warm up to its latest experiment?

[donhyrum]

Ad on TiVo

First off. If people are paying to have TiVo update service, why would they want ads?

Advertisers should be mad as well. It's one thing to have an ad skiped by a user, that's a problem ever since the remote control was invented. But to have it replaced THAT would be a problem.

3 minute video of something I would be interested in is attractive vs. getting a series of completely unrelated 20 and 30 seconds spots.

[Netgearrules]

Commercials/advertising

If I am paying for a service I should not be forced to watch advertisments. What are they going to do next, stop me from going into the kitchen until the commercials are over? This is why I built my own PVR I can skip over these commercials no matter what. If tivo forces you to watch advertisements, nothing a simple hack can not fix.

[Earl Benser]

One more reason....

...not to buy a TiVo. Pop-up ads are pop-up ads, in any case.

So TiVo says they aren't really watching what you watch. But now
they are going to push advertizing to you that's based on what
you watch.

No thanks. My PC does the DVR thing better and it doesn't tell
anyone what's going on.

[sugrdmge]

Giving consumers a bit more credit...

yup--The "ad button" on the controller is nothing more than a
annoying, flashing "click here!!!" pop-up equivalent, also.

Even if there was a Google-like search feature/custom profiling
type of feature built into Tivo, so people only see info/ads only
on things they'd t looking to purchase....why bother, when
people when they already can do all of this online, with a cable
modem for only $20 bucks a month? Besides, TiVo (and TV in
general) is all about relaxing on your couch. Surfing online is, by
it's very nature, different. Even if it's for entertainment, the user
is prepared to have to do more, i.e., click, search, type, etc. Do
the majority of TV watchers even WANT more interaction? (Other
than voting on Reality shows?)

Also, the whole "can't tell the difference" between advertising
and TV show spin is only going to make the vast majority of
people who have money to spend all the more disinterested in
new shows like these--because the majorty read news sites like
this, and know what's going on; they'll easily circumvent such
shows. Advertisers shouldn't assume such audiences are dumber
than they are; they should assume they're smarter. And at the
end of the day, TiVo is successful with consumers for only two
reasons:
a) I get to skip/fast-forward ads!
b) I get to easily record exactly what i want to watch, no matter
what.

With that as the basis, I don't advertisers getting any signifigant
satisfaction from TiVo or TiVo equivalent-products.