TiVo Adds Features to Make Advertising More Interactive

http://www.tivo.com/0.0.asp
這是一家很有創意的公司，他生產的數位電視機上盒有很多有趣的功能，比方說利用cable或者衛星天線來搜尋你要的美國節目，然後download到機上盒的硬碟中，重點是他還可以幫你做節目的剪接讓惱人的廣告節目消失，但是另一面他們似乎也嘗試讓廣告更有效率。另外平時，也可以將機上盒的變成一台電視節目錄影機。

我在patent explorer中發現這家公司的硬碟技術是跟Maxtor一起合作，其他的遙控與設備技術似乎也算是完整，所以在技術上，這種設備的技術性應該可以說算成熟了。比較值得注意的是他未來的service端是不是能夠得到各大電視台的青睞。

某程度上，我覺得這項產品會瓜分掉Blockbuster的市場，同時會擠壓到Apple將i-pod影像化的利潤。

TiVo Adds Features to Make Advertising More Interactive

A WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE NEWS ROUNDUP
July 18, 2005 10:09 a.m.

Digital video-recording company TiVo Inc., famous for helping customers skip commercials on their favorite television programs, is taking steps to encourage viewers to watch them.

TiVo, based in Alviso, Calif., announced plans to insert symbols that identify advertisers during commercial breaks, making them more visible even when a customer is fast forwarding through them. Advertisers who sponsor TiVo's "ad tags" can include additional graphics, such as their corporate logos, to the pop-ups. Moreover, the pop-up tags now will be able to lead viewers to additional content, such as infomercials, movie trailers and even mailings.

The company said General Motors Corp. and the WB Television Network will be the first to use the new features. Starting this week, TiVo users who see GM's commercials for OnStar, GMC, Chevrolet or Saturn will see a branded pop-up tag that leads them to special promotional footage or lets them request additional information directly from GM. Viewers who want to follow through won't need to press more than a few buttons or type in their addresses or phone numbers since TiVo already has them on file and can supply them to GM.

But encouraging TiVo customers to download ads could be a tough sell, analysts have predicted. People subscribe to TiVo's service, which allows customers to make video recordings of their favorite TV shows, precisely to avoid commercials.

The new commercial strategy is the latest attempt by TiVo to generate ad revenue for the company, which has yet to turn a profit since its founding in 1997. TiVo said it developed the new features in response to feedback from advertisers. "This is an important growth area for TiVo. These sorts of products are what will get us there," said Kimber Sterling, TiVo's director of advertising and research sales. TiVo's enhanced advertising functions will let it accommodate more advertisers, he added.

The company hasn't divulged how much it has made from advertising, but has emphasized its growing importance. TiVo's focus on advertising is in stark contrast with earlier fears that the company's technology -- which lets viewers skip over commercials -- would make traditional TV advertising irrelevant. TiVo has capitalized on its interactive abilities to create advertising that's more targeted. It also has highlighted its ability to track viewer response to commercials and programs in more detail than traditional TV ads. The company can combine user data as detailed as how often viewers rewind or fast-forward through a particular scene in a show or commercial. These functions make it easier for advertisers to see how their investment is paying off, TiVo says.

Despite the company's loyal following of 3.3 million subscribers, TiVo has labored to increase its subscriber base. In its first-quarter report in May, TiVo reported a loss of $857,000. The company has said it expects to reach profitability in the fourth quarter.