Monday, May 21st, 2012
TiVo/DVR users’ eagerness to skip commercials has led to more insidious forms of marketing, such as product placement within television shows. Those enormous cups of Coca-Cola on the judges’ desk on “American Idol” were not there by accident. The relationship between TiVo and advertisers is also evident in TiVo’s practice of selling information about subscribers to marketers. The company recently signed a deal with Nielsen Media Research to provide detailed (although not individually identifiable) information about customer viewing habits.
But what TiVo really “gets” about you is that if it’s easy and convenient, you’re going to spend a lot more of your life watching television.
Reports from Forrester Research and Next Research found that DVR users watch more television after purchasing a DVR — five to six hours more a week in the latter study. We spend more time watching TV than doing anything else except working and sleeping.
