TiVo Starts Testing "Pop-up" Ads

mkraft writes "ZDNet is reporting that TiVo has started a testing a new pop-up style ad on a random and limited number of subscriber's TiVo as of this weekend. The ads are designed to be displayed on screen when the user fast forwards through specially tagged commercials. Clicking the thumbsup or select button on the TiVo remote will take the user to a menu containing more information about the advertisement (text and/or video). Unfortunately according to reports on the TiVo Community forums the ads are also showing up during actual programs as well."

Comments

So much for TiVo

[maotx]

Nothing like watching a great show and having to minimize the link for the latest viagra pill with your kids.
And to think, TiVo use to be a quality DVR...

I guess the pressure about the ability to skip ads and their lack of revenue convinced them to take this approach.
One would think that with the recent signing with Comcast that TiVo wouldn't have the need to pull something like this.
Given my choice in the future I do believe I shall stick with something more like MythTV

Re:So much for TiVo

[airjrdn]

Tell your sister to go put together a MythTV box.

See how Tivo is still relevant?

Re:So much for TiVo

[Tibor the Hun]

The advertisers paid for the spot?

I also seem to have paid for the cable subscription.
But maybe you get your cable for free, so the only way for the cable company to make money is from the advertising.

My 50 bucks a month must be buying toilet paper, or 1 dollar bills for lighting cigars.

I swear to god, if all this no-ff-through-commercials and advertising bullshit keeps growing, I'm gonna buy me a VHS and learn how to program the recording timers.

Re:So much for TiVo

[Grishnakh]

The advertisers payed of the spot, so they should get something.

I don't give a rat's ass what the advertisers paid for, or what their business model is. They paid the TV networks to broadcast their ad, and that's what happened.

If I own a TiVo, then I have paid TiVo for a digital recording device which I can use to time-shift programs and skip ads. I have not signed any sort of contract with the TV broadcasting networks, and to my knowledge, TiVo has no contract with them obligating them to prevent users from skipping their ads. If they do have any such contract, then I want no part of TiVo's service, and will look for an alternative.

It's not my problem, or that of the DVR manufacturers, that the advertisers' business model isn't working. That's their problem. All they're paying for, and getting, is the chance at getting someone to watch their ad by broadcasting it. This does not imply any guarantee that people will actually sit there and watch it, instead of fast-forwarding past it, or even going to the crapper while it plays. Why should I pay for a device which forces me to watch ads? If the advertisers don't like this, they can go find another way of advertising.

I think it would be interesting if they did something like this for free downloads of shows. 5-10 seconds for an image of the ads that would normally be where a commercial break is. You can pay to not have the ads.

This would only be acceptable if they gave away the (ad-enabled) TiVos for free.

Why does this not seem right?

[scifience]

Let me get this straight: I pay for the TiVo device itself, then I pay a monthly service fee. Now I also have to put up with highly invasive advertising?

This might be acceptable if there was no monthly fee for using the device, but this is akin to adding commercials to HBO. Either choose to be subscription-supported or advertising-supported, but not both.

Re:Why does this not seem right?

[mshiltonj]

Either choose to be subscription-supported or advertising-supported, but not both.

Yeah, like newspapers and magazines.

No, Tivo. No.

[katsushiro]

I'm sorry, if I allready paid for the machine, and on top of that, I'm paying a monthly fee for the service, I do *not* find it acceptable to have the service push ads at me. If you're going to be pushing ads at me, then start refunding my monthly fee. That's the way things work for me. I'm willing to pay you for your service, no problem. But I'm going to pay you in *either* cash or ads, not both. And seeing as part of the reason I got a Tivo was to skip ads, then replacing those ads with other ads is *not* acceptable to me.

Looks like it's time to finally sit down and build that MythTV box I've been thinking about.

Re:Why does this not seem right? Everywhere...

[garett_spencley]

Yup, I'm currently boycotting movie theaters because of this.

I remember in the late 80's or early 90's it was either the first or second 'new' Batman movie with Michael Keaton. They had an advertisement for Coke at the beginning. It was even themed for the movie and people were OUTRAGED. For the next 10 years or so there were no more attempts that I remember to do non-movie commercials before movies.

Man how times have changed.. and fast.

But, unfortunately, I don't think our wallets are very loud in these cases. Movie theaters, television, music etc. is all teenager domain.. and I don't see teenagers boycotting any form of entertainment any time soon. Even advertisements are 'cool' for teenagers these days. As long as teenagers are buying up movie tickets and chugging down ad after ad without complaining then it's here to stay :(