PSX5Central
Non Gaming Discussions => Off-Topic => Topic started by: Evi on November 17, 2004, 10:45:23 PM
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - TiVo (news - web sites) Inc.(Nasdaq:TIVO - news), maker of digital television video recorders, will next year add ways for viewers to see advertising and corporate logos even as they try to skip commercials, the company said on Wednesday.
Starting in March, most viewers who fast-forward through programs on their TiVo digital video recorder (DVR) -- a set-top box that saves shows on a built-in computer hard drive -- will see small pop-up billboards or logos related to the brands represented in some of the ads.
TiVo said it worked with more than 30 of the biggest U.S. advertisers, including auto manufacturers and Hollywood studios, in a strategic move to bolster its tiny ad unit, which generates only a fraction of the company\'s revenue.
TiVo spokeswoman Kathryn Kelly said the move, which will allow advertisers a chance to offer viewers contest entries and giveaways, will not affect consumers\' ability to fast-forward through commercials.
"It is just another way for advertisers to show their brands in a less intrusive way than traditional advertising," she said.
Subscribers, who pay up to $13 a month for the full TiVo service, will see the change automatically through a software upgrade. Later in 2005, TiVo hopes to launch a system that lets viewers buy merchandise and take part in surveys using the buttons on their remote controls, Kelly said.
However, subscribers who receive the TiVo service via satellite provider DirecTV Group Inc.(NYSE:DTV - news), TiVo\'s biggest source of new customers, are not expected to see a change in their service. Unlike so-called "standalone" TiVo subscribers, who buy their boxes in retail stores, DirecTV chooses which set-top boxes and services are funneled to its users.
"DirecTV doesn\'t always roll out all the features that we offer," she said.
TIVO AT CROSSROADS
The advertising plans come as TiVo hits a crossroads. It has swelled to 2 million subscribers, but U.S. cable companies are starting to offer similar services at cheaper prices. Moreover, DirecTV -- controlled by Rupert Murdoch\'s News Corp. (NYSE:NWS_W - news) -- has hinted that its future may not include TiVo.
TiVo seeks to drive retail sales with enhanced features and services and boost revenue from other sources, such as advertising and audience measurement, which tracks the viewing behavior of its users.
In the past, advertisers and TV networks viewed DVRs as a threat, arguing that some devices\' commercial skipping features violate copyright laws and rob them of revenues.
But DVRs are becoming a mainstream product and TiVo, which counts entertainment giants NBC, the General Electric Co.(NYSE:GE - news) unit, and Time Warner Inc.(NYSE:TWX - news) as stakeholders, has generally chosen to partner with advertisers.
EchoStar Communications Corp.\'s (Nasdaq:DISH - news) Dish Network, a DirecTV rival, said it does not plan to change the ad-skipping features of its DVR set-top boxes.
"We don\'t have any of the pop-up features that TiVo says they want to include," said spokesman Marc Lumpkin.
Ads are gay...ads must die...no more ads!
The Article (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=569&e=2&u=/nm/20041117/tc_nm/tech_tivo_advertising_dc)
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That\'s just gay. I hate ads, especially those intruding ones they have everywhere on the web now. Grrrr!
PS. I DON\'T GIVE A FLYING F*** ABOUT CONTESTS AND GIVEAWAYS! GRRR!
:p
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what about getting a larger penis?
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^^^^^^
I don\'t need that. I\'m fine thanks. I hate that crap in my e-mail...
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Originally posted by theomen
what about getting a larger penis?
Depends on who the penis belongs to. If it\'s your penis, then HELL YEAH! :p
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ads lower prices. necessary evil i guess
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Originally posted by THX
ads lower prices. necessary evil i guess
Or turns in more profit for the company...
But seriously, I think I\'d go crazy if I had to watch American TV without some sort of Tivo device. Whenever I watch an American show here there\'s a commercial break every 10 mins or so! Luckily they\'re not included over here, so it just fades to black and continues, but hot damn... I hate commercials.
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Tivo has yet to claim a profit.
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Originally posted by videoholic
Tivo has yet to claim a profit.
Well then they suck. :p
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Same deal with Netflix, and they definitely don\'t suck. :whip: