TiVo Program Placement adds post-roll ad option to recordings

In a move that satisfies its never ending quests to both develop new revenue streams as well as assist advertisers in counteracting the commercial-skipping culture that it helped create, TiVo has unveiled a new initiative that will tack targeted ads onto the end of subscribers' recorded programs. This so-called "Program Placement" service will exist completely outside the world of traditional 30-second spots, and allows companies to append their commercials to the end of whatever show they please; if you've recorded That's So Raven, for instance, you might get hit with an ad for Disney's Mix Max PMP, or perhaps a pitch for the latest birdsong clock from the Audubon Society. Luckily for customers, the ads will not start playing until the user gives the okay on a post-program splash screen, though apparently the content is downloaded before that decision is made -- so either way, some of your precious hard drive space will be gobbled up, at least temporarily. So far Burger King, GM, and The Weather Channel have signed up to get their post-roll on, with BK's offering seemingly the most ambitious: instead of some long-winded spiel about how great the new Octo Stacker is, viewers have the option of exploring interactive content and getting to really know The King and his Big Huckin' Chicken. Since TiVo cheerleader and all-around good guy Dave Zatz seems tolerant of this new "feature," we suppose that we'll get used to it too, but if the DVR DMR giant starts pulling this crap at the beginning of our recordings too, well, we're gonna get back to that MythTV box which is still sitting half-finished on our workbench.

Read- Press release
Read- AdWeek
[Via Zatz Not Funny]

[andy @ Nov 28th 2006 2:29PM]

I don't mind it. I tend to look through all of the featured ads in the tivo menu anyway since they're tech stuff and giveaways.

NOW JUST GIVE ME BACK MY S2 FEATURES ON MY S3. How's that for some *$(#*$ innovation?

[hank @ Nov 28th 2006 2:33PM]

i believe it is a "big BUCKIN chicken"

[erik brunn @ Nov 28th 2006 2:52PM]

i hate commericals

[pabell @ Nov 28th 2006 3:42PM]

"if you've recorded That's So Raven, for instance...."

Wow you all went there... of all the shows you could have drop names on "That's So Raven" made the cut

He He

[LJKelley @ Nov 28th 2006 4:48PM]

And that is exactly why I use Windows Media Center. I just skip thru all the commercials, with no add ons. I do pay a monthly cable fee, so share the money.

[Mario @ Nov 28th 2006 5:06PM]

I think commericals are the work of the Devil

[aguynamededdy @ Nov 28th 2006 5:12PM]

99% of commercials are the work of the Devil. The other 1% are the actual good commercials made by talented creative teams.

[Taylor @ Nov 28th 2006 5:09PM]

I'm wondering how much space this could eventually take up on my Tivo Hard drive. I mean, I only have a 40gb one. And if this goes over big with advertisers, then they'll be putting a ton of them on my box.

[Joel Heflin @ Nov 28th 2006 5:52PM]

No, it is definately HUCKIN chicken. My brother and I argued about this a few months ago. Of course I was right. If you disagree, go see the official website, lol.

http://www.huckinchicken.com

[anon @ Nov 28th 2006 6:19PM]

Before trying to bombard me with more ads that I bought my 2 TiVos to get rid of and pay $20 to use, why don't they issue a patch for that damned KidZone update that has slowed down my TiVo for the past many months and have no use for.

[dozx @ Nov 28th 2006 6:33PM]

Personally I would never get TiVo. I don't believe in paying for some thing I don't have to. There are plenty of great dvr alternatives such as eyetv and others that don't make you pay a monthly charge and don't care how many commercials you skip or even edit out of your recordings, but i guess if you don't have a computer that would be your only choice. Love my eyetv. I can record anything with it and unrestricted.

[Brian @ Nov 28th 2006 7:58PM]

I'm glad my contract with TiVo is almost up. I'm paying $12.95 (I'm happy it's not the new $19.99 monthly fee) so they can add commercials to my recordings and hard drive? I'm looking at it from a cost perspective and TiVo is quickly losing it's appeal.

[a2 @ Nov 28th 2006 10:14PM]

At the END of recordings?

Do they seriously expect anyone to stick around and watch these commercials?

This is a useless feature.

[andy @ Nov 29th 2006 10:23AM]

"a2 @ Nov 28th 2006 9:21PM
At the END of recordings?

Do they seriously expect anyone to stick around and watch these commercials?

This is a useless feature."


We all look at the featured ads in the TIVO menu. These will be directed based on content, so when I'm watching modern marvels - bullets, I'll get gun ads. I'll definitely look, and so will others.

It's not going to take any real amount of space, I'm cool with it. You can just skip it too.

To others:
The prices for TIVO have gotten pretty high with the new price structure. I can't imagine getting one with the new service prices. I love my S3 with lifetime, but they need to change their money model. They need to integrate a video download service (xbox live) and make money from that instead of just demanding more money from customers while taking away services (s3 lack of tivo2 go, but more importantly multi-room viewing).

[liquid @ Nov 29th 2006 2:46AM]

LOL, i cant understand for the life of me why people buy into tivo. First they rape you on the price of the dvr, then they dip there hands in your cookie jar once a month (how nice) and to top it all off, they continuously look for more ways to shove commercials in front of your eyes, when the #2 reason most even got a dvr was to skip commercials. lol.

no thank you, ill stick to mce

[JimmyStewart @ Nov 29th 2006 7:16AM]

"no thank you, ill stick to mce"

As soon as MCE allows for proper recording of HDTV I'll be right behind you! Sadly it doesn't look like that will be happening anytime soon...

[JimmyStewart @ Nov 29th 2006 7:13AM]

To those worrying about Tivo taking up your space... read your Tivo contracts more closely. When you buy a Tivo a small percentage of your HD space is set aside for these sorts of things. Be it the featured ads Tivo tapes that are optional or for ideas like this one. This is in addition to the space you purchased. So for example if you bought a 60 hour Tivo, you still have access to all of that 60 hours. Tivo will not ever take any of that space away from you. They've just added a small cushion for these types of things... so in actuality your Tivo might be capable of 61 or 62 hours to allow Tivo to record these things. In short, you aren't losing anything, nor will you ever.

This idea pisses me off for one reason. I have nothing against tactics like this... as long as doing so helps to keep the costs affordable for consumers. But after Tivo raised their prices to such ridiculous levels to then get more money from advertisers on top of that is just salt in the customers wound. If they're going to charge those insane $20 a month prices they should leave the ads out of there! If I didn't transfer my lifetime subscription over to my new S3 I wouldn't be a Tivo customer right now. They seem headed in the wrong direction.

[The Jeremy @ Nov 29th 2006 3:55PM]

I don't mind this, but I certainly would feel better about it if a free S3 was shipped to my place in exchange for this "feature".

[Fire Hazard @ Dec 5th 2006 11:04PM]

"we suppose that we'll get used to it too, but if the DVR DMR giant starts pulling this crap at the beginning of our recordings too, well, we're gonna get back to work on the MythTV box that's sitting half-finished on our workbench."

Don't you mean DRM? Digital rights management? IDK what ells you would be talking about. You guys need to get an editor or fire your current one, to many mistakes.

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