TiVo's StopWatch to offer up precise viewer statistics

TiVo's transformation from a ad-skipper's best friend to an ad agency's biggest asset is nearly complete, as the firm's StopWatch system is aimed to provide "second-by-second" viewing data which Nielsen has refused to offer thus far. While the company went public about its intentions to become an ad-friendly platform awhile back, it looks like the time has come for its voyeuristic service to go live, as it begins marketing a system to carefully watch its 4.5 million or so customers whiz through commercials and schedule season recordings. This indeed marks the "first time a syndicated ratings service has detailed live and time-shifted viewing data on a second-by-second basis," which advertisers should absolutely drool over. Notably, Starcom has already signed on as TiVo's first taker, and with the amount of critical data now available to media agencies, we hardly believe it'll be the last. So the next time you crank up your TiVo and cruise on by every single costly commercial on your favorite recorded drama, take comfort in the fact that Big Brother is taking notes on a moment-by-moment basis.

[Via PVRWire]

[andy @ Feb 1st 2007 10:42AM]

Does this mean that they'll be dropping the price or adding multi-room viewing, tivo to go, or online scheduling to the S3, or activating the eSATA port for add'l external storage?

otherwise, whoopeee.

[Arno @ Feb 1st 2007 11:12AM]

Who the hell watches Studio 60?

[pete @ Feb 1st 2007 11:36AM]

So let me get this straight -
I get to pay Tivo a monthly fee (for what, I still don't understand), and then they turn around and sell my viewing habits and make more money off me?
Sorry Tivo, give up the subscription fees or allow me to opt-out of this data collection.
Tivo doesn't have enough nails in its coffin, it needs this? Can't wait until cheap cablecard Vista boxes end Tivo.

[Kichigai Mentat @ Feb 1st 2007 2:37PM]

Why wait? MythTV may not have CableCARD, but you can hook up FireWire to your cable box and at least get some high def cable. And if you don't like it, and you're refusing to go with anything but Vista's DRM'd hell (or some channel you can't live without is encrypted), you can always reformat and use Vista when the time comes.

[Doug @ Feb 1st 2007 11:53AM]

The subscription fee is to pay for the TV guide database that is downloaded daily by your unit, and also to help fund additional development of the software.

As for collecting statistics - DUH! Tivo has done this since day one. They have a very comprehensive privacy policy on their website. READ IT.

The data they collect is aggregate, so it's not like advertisers know that _YOU_ personally are watching reruns of 'Sex In The City' at 3am. If you don't like it, you can tell Tivo to not use your data.

[Dean @ Feb 1st 2007 12:35PM]

"Who the hell watches Studio 60?"

I've always suspected that many more people watch it time-shifted. I must admit that I really enjoy the show as I don't get caught up in the whole Aaron Sorkin soap opera.

[Tyler @ Feb 1st 2007 1:02PM]

TiVo is a company that doesn't make money (go ahead and check it out http://finance.google.com/finance?fstype=ii&cid=663559). If they don't find a way to start making a profit, they are going to go the way of ReplayTV... and who wants that? So more power to TiVo if this lets them continue to innovate and keep us from being stuck with crappy cable company DVRs.

[thename @ Feb 1st 2007 1:10PM]

This could very well be a dream for all the folks whose viewing habits aren't reflected by the Nielsen ratings but seem to match those of everyone else they know. Anyone remember lots of shows that everyone they knew was watching but got canned because Nielsen had them being swamped by "ABC and Bud Light Present: When Stars go Dancing with their Assistants' Pets"?

[Reid Sorenson @ Feb 1st 2007 2:22PM]

It only helps if they watch the shows AND the commercials. The networks will only keep a show on the air if it's profitable. If advertisers see a show like Studio 60 which doesn't get much "live" viewership, and the TiVo ratings show people watch with out commercials, do you think they're likely to buy spots in the show?

That's the reason "When Stars Go Dancing With Their Assistants' Pets" stays on the air over, say, "Arrested Development." It's cheaper to produce, and people watch it LIVE, with commercials. Unfortunately for those of us with a taste for quality entertainment, we also have a taste for devices that let us enjoy that entertainment on our own time, and in our own way.

We pay companies like TiVo for that privilege, but our behavior only hurts the production and distribution companies that invested big money to provide the programming in the first place.

[fd @ Feb 1st 2007 1:24PM]

... I wonder what the next step is? Not.

[Galley @ Feb 1st 2007 1:26PM]

If the networks began paying attention to this data earlier, shows like Futurama and Firefly may not have gotten canceled.

[thename @ Feb 1st 2007 2:09PM]

Galley: Exactly! Everyone Tivo their Firefly reruns!

[Evan @ Feb 1st 2007 2:09PM]

TV ratings data proves one thing: the majority of Americans are not watching tv!

According to Nielsen data, the top ranked tv shows pull in between 15% to 20% of American households. That means that at least 80% of Americans are NOT watching the supposedly mainstream shows!

[martin @ Feb 1st 2007 2:11PM]

"TiVo's transformation from a ad-skipper's..."

I stopped reading when I noticed the "a" before "ad-skipper's" should be an "an."

[mjh @ Feb 1st 2007 2:11PM]

I actually welcome this development. I want advertisers to know which commercials I stop and watch. It's a much more direct way of knowing which commercials I actually value. As opposed to the very vague information that comes from running a commercial and then seeing if sales go up as a consequence. Or running a commerical which gets a lot of critical acclaim but that most people simply ignore.

I like the idea of advertisers getting anonymous feedback from me.

[Kichigai Mentat @ Feb 1st 2007 2:37PM]

If TiVo really wants to do something smart, here's what you do. Take a recording, and allow ad skipping. However, take information on this family's viewing habits, and do like ComCast's OnDemand does: insert an ad or two (tops) in the program. The ads can be acquired through a broadband network (do we seriously need to DRM our ads? I think not, so security is a low priority) and be played before the show, after the show, or in the place of a commercial break. NBC does this with Heroes on their network, and my friends who watch it on their website don't really mind it that much. TiVo and companies benefit because they're selling ads that people might pay attention to. If I see an ad for Core 2 Duos that demonstrates its superiority over AMD's X2, or an ad for a Serenity sequel, or Star Trek XI, and I would actually pay attention, and likely choose that product. If I see an ad for... natural male enhancement, I'm going to ignore it.

Of course, there has to be a degree tact to this. I mean, if someone records HBO's Real Sex, but also records a dozen or so other shows, and he invites his friends over to watch the latest MythBusters or the big game, or something like that, an ad for a phalace (sp?) or "personal lubrication" might not be the most appropriate thing.

[JD @ Feb 1st 2007 4:19PM]

What took them so long? I thought data aggregation was always a goal of Tivo.

I'm glad they're finally doing this. I hope Tivo is charging people LOTS of money for this (how much is Google worth now?). As someone else mentioned, I want advertisers to know that occasionally I do stop and watch commercials, even with Tivo. And even when I do fast forward, there is still "ad retention". I can tell you who sponsers CNet on Tivo eventhough I've never stopped to watch the commercials.

[Lonnie McClure @ Feb 1st 2007 8:51PM]

It would be nice if TiVo could generate enough revenue from this that it would be in their interest to lower or eliminate monthly fees, in order to expand their sample base. More likely, they will just keep all the marbles.

[smart advertising @ Feb 1st 2007 10:45PM]

"It would be nice if TiVo could generate enough revenue from this that it would be in their interest to lower or eliminate monthly fees, in order to expand their sample base. More likely, they will just keep all the marbles."

Do you understand how magazines and newspapers make money? It's selling advertising, not selling subscriptions; they lose money on subscriptions. They keep subscription rates low because they need the bigger audience to get better ad rates. If TiVo ever gets to the point where they can survive on advertising money, they would not keep the subscriptions rates high if lowering them would get them more viewers, and thus, more ad money.

What kills me are the people who think TiVo only exists to allow them to skip ads. That is the least of TiVo's charms. Being able to timeshift effortlessly is what TiVo is all about. Watch what you want when you want, with minimal effort on your part. Ad skipping is simply a byproduct of timeshifting; it isn't TiVo's raison d'etre.

If TiVo's ad strategy means my favorite shows don't get cancelled, great! All you ad skipping TiVo-haters who freak out at the idea of TiVo knowing what you (not you specifically; you in general) watch on TV are cutting off your nose to spite your face. We TiVoites will start to see our favorite shows stick around longer while your favs get the ax because no one knows you are watching them.

Also, ads suck, because they are poorly produced and not properly targeted at people who actually want to see them. If TiVo can encourage ad agencies to produce better ads advertising things I might actually want to buy, ie, if they produce ads I might actually want to watch, then more power to TiVo.

Viva the TiVo intelligent advertising revolution. Down with the self-defeating anti-advertising Luddites.

[mick @ Feb 9th 2007 9:45PM]

There is nothing big brotherly about this. If people don't want to have their viewing habits send out to TiVo headquarters, they have a choice: don't take TiVo.