« Tivo Content Download Service ready to release? | Main | NBC returning TV shows to regular start/end times »

TiVo Banner Ads released

I don't know if their content download service is ready to launch, but TiVo has definitely launched their banner ads.  One just showed up on my TiVo.  Here's what it looks like:

I saw it on 3x and 20x fast forward, but not on 60x.  If you hit thumbs up it takes you to a screen that will let you choose between receiving ads from GMC (TiVo will share your info with them if you choose this), watch a video or read some text.

by George Hotelling August 3, 2005 in TiVo

Comments

Is that the normal sized thumbs up? If so, this is much less egregious than the original screenblocking test ads they beta'd a while ago. Then again, maybe that was their plan all along - have stories about the huge ads "leaked" so when the REAL ads launched it would seem a minor irritation in comparison. In any case I think I can live with it.

Posted by: Some Guy at Aug 3, 2005 3:46:09 PM

I've been seeing this style ad for the movie "Stealth" for a week or two now, the thumbs up links to a 4 minute video (also available from the showcase directly). Can't 100% confirm this, but it seems like only certian channels are "banner-enabled", I'm almost sure I've viewed the same commercial from some stations and not seen the banner.

And yeah, that's a normal size thumbs up, the banner is much less invasive than the beta testing we saw. Annoyingly, the text keeps blinking back and forth between the messages "Press THUMBS UP" and "For more info" every couple seconds which is pretty distracting all by itself.

Posted by: Brian at Aug 3, 2005 3:51:04 PM

For those of you who don't have TiVo, "normal sized thumbs up" means it's quite small and in the upper right hand corner of the screen. It covers maybe 1/16th of the screen, sort of like a moderately more obtrusive version of those now-very-common network watermarks. The screenshot makes it look almost like it's covering the whole screen.

(Brian--haven't the green thumbs-up-for-more-information banners always flashed between "Press Thumbs Up" and "For more info"? Mine always have.)

Posted by: brian w at Aug 3, 2005 7:34:55 PM

I saw this ad last night when not fast forwarding through the ad, so basically I think I should be having the service free, if on top of $13 a month I get force fed ads.

Posted by: filharvey at Aug 3, 2005 8:37:41 PM

How are they storing these ads? You know they're not streaming them so does that mean that TiVO is using your storage space to show you ads?

Posted by: Chris at Aug 4, 2005 5:24:31 AM

To all those TiVo users who haven't done this already, I would recommend activating the 30-second skip feature on the unit. You will be able to surf through commercial breaks extremely quickly and then the banner ads won't even have time to show up! Learn how to do that here: http://www.bigmarv.net/how/tivo30secondskip.html

Posted by: Adam at Aug 4, 2005 6:14:52 AM

For years TiVo's have come with built-in 'extra' HD space. This space is where they store this content, along with all the content they've shown in Showcases for years.

It does NOT use ANY of the space allocated to you to record shows.

That's why older models can't see most of the extra Showcase content.

FYI: the content is recorded via a broadcast on the Discovery channel in the middle of the night, usually once a week or so.

Posted by: chris at Aug 4, 2005 6:19:37 AM

> FYI: the content is recorded via a broadcast > on the Discovery channel in the middle of the > night, usually once a week or so.

So what would happen if you put a notch filter on your cable line to block the Discovery channel during that time? Is this feed used for anything else?

Posted by: Daniel T. at Aug 4, 2005 6:33:30 AM

In response to the question about why the banners don't appear on all networks when watching the same ad, some networks refuse to run ads that are encoded with the signals that signal the TiVo box to bring up the banner.

Ironically, Fox uses TiVo banners over their own shows promos but will not allow their advertisers to do the same

Posted by: jmpz at Aug 4, 2005 7:28:55 AM

Good for TiVo!

Yeah, in fairy tale land where everything is free we would all get a free TiVo delivered to our doorstep with unlimited lifetime subscriptions, but that's not the case in the really real world.

I'm all for letting TiVo do whatever they need to do to survive, and hey, they are giving you the option of watching the commercial, which means that the advertisers are getting people watching the commercial who actually want to watch the commercial! That's win-win.

Once again TiVo gives users what they want, even when they don't know what they want.

Posted by: Brian G at Aug 4, 2005 9:01:54 AM

"...letting TiVo do whatever they need to do to survive"? Broadcasters generate revenue from regular TV commercials (the ones we fast-forward through) - Tivo makes its (real) money from subscribers. Inserting these ads is certainly bringing Tivo a little extra cash, but is it something Tivo has to do? I would say no. We fast-foward because we don't want to watch commercials; the relative benefit to Tivo by placing these could likely be offset by the frustration of it's users. What Tivo has to do is please it's (paying) users - we are they ones that keep the lights on.

Posted by: Christian Stovall at Aug 4, 2005 10:46:10 AM

Yes, Tivo service should be free because there are ads. Oh, and also magazines, newspapers, movies, DVDs, tickets to sporting events or concerts, and video games. All of them (and probably other things I've forgotten) come with advertising, even though you pay for a subscription or a ticket. No, I'm not crazy about it either - but until someone comes out with a PVR that has the features and usability of Tivo, I can live with it.

Posted by: Some Guy at Aug 4, 2005 10:49:59 AM

> I saw this ad last night when not fast forwarding through the ad, so basically I think I should be having the service free, if on top of $13 a month I get force fed ads.

What a brilliant post. So, I guess you think you should be getting cable and/or satellite TV for free, also? After all, on top of the > $40/month, you get force fed ads in the programming.

"Ads IN the programming?! Aren't I paying the cable company to provide me this content!? Why should I have to watch ADs?!"

You, sir, are a rocket scientist.

Posted by: Randle at Aug 4, 2005 11:18:00 AM

Honestly, I'd be much happier if they spent more time speeding up the interface to something other than a snail's pace. Ever since the 7.x upgrades, my TiVo's interface is rediculously slow.

Posted by: Brian at Aug 4, 2005 12:12:52 PM

>> I saw this ad last night when not fast forwarding through the ad, so basically I think I should be having the service free, if on top of $13 a month I get force fed ads.

>What a brilliant post. So, I guess you think you should be getting cable and/or satellite TV for free, also? After all, on top of the > $40/month, you get force fed ads in the programming.

----------------------

The difference is you don't have to drop $200 for a cable box. You just pay for the service. Tivo is now triple-dipping: charge you for the box, charge you for the service and they get paid for making you watch more ads.

No thanks. I'll stick with my Beyond TV.

Posted by: MrBlank at Aug 4, 2005 1:19:46 PM

> The difference is you don't have to drop $200 for a cable box. You just pay for the service. Tivo is now triple-dipping: charge you for the box, charge you for the service and they get paid for making you watch more ads.

Really? You just pay for the service, huh? Boy, have you folks swallowed the cable company's B.S. hook, line, and sinker.

Try checking your bill, my friend. Not only do you pay for the service, but you pay a cable box rental fee, a DVR fee (if you use their DVR), an HDTV fee if you have HD, and oh yeah, a CableCARD fee if you have one of those. Trust me, you end up paying a lot more in rental fees over the long run than you would if you owned the box. That's why the cablecos will not sell it to you. They make too much money off of it to let it go.

And you saying that TiVo is making you watch more ADs just shows that you have no clue what you are talking about. They are doing no such thing. Read the blog posting, for crying out loud.

Look, my point was simple. Just because filharvey up there pays for something doesn't mean it isn't also partially subsidized by ADs. It happens all the time, and to complain about a tiny little "thumbs-up" that you don't have to hit and doesn't prevent you from using your TiVo EXACTLY like you did before is idiotic. Even if it did keep you from fast-forwarding through commercials, which it doesn't, you really can't complain about it unless you're willing to stick your head in the sand and forget about everything else you happily fork over money for and are still "force-fed" ADs. (Cable TV, magazines, newspapers, movies, DVDs, etc., etc., etc.)

Posted by: Randle at Aug 4, 2005 3:39:20 PM

"Tivo makes its (real) money from subscribers. Inserting these ads is certainly bringing Tivo a little extra cash, but is it something Tivo has to do? I would say no."

TiVo has been in business since 1999 and has yet to make a profit. I would much rather have them earn revenue this way than 1) charging me more or 2) going out of business.

Posted by: nobody at Aug 4, 2005 5:40:54 PM

Those Bastards!!!

Posted by: James at Aug 5, 2005 12:03:37 AM

They killed Kenny.. Oh wait.

Posted by: Stan at Aug 6, 2005 12:27:44 AM

I hate commercials just as much as the next guy, but call me crazy - I actually like the ad tagging technology TiVo has implemented this time around. The graphics are really slick and the form factor is great. And ultimately, I have the choice of whether or not to take action. Id actually like TiVo to continue to ADVANCE the technology and hope companies other than just car manufacturers / movie studios broadly deploy it. TiVo should give users the ability to automatically create Wish Lists when a new tv show is advertised 3 months in advance - not sure how TiVo makes money in that scenario, but...

Posted by: New York at Aug 6, 2005 7:24:09 AM

TrackBack: http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/459/2942216

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference TiVo Banner Ads released:

» TiVo-proofing Commercians (II) from Perception Analyzer Dial.Log
As a follow-up to this post, TiVo is now offering advertisers banner ads that remain on the screen in fast-forward mode. [Read More]

Tracked on Aug 4, 2005 2:05:46 PM