It’s being reported that ABC executives want DVR companies to disable fast-forwarding during commercials.
Much has been made about the ability to skip commercials with your DVR. Since TiVo is the originator of the DVR and its main innovator, it has become the verb to use when you want to save something to your DVR. “I’ll TiVo it”.
Sure, the ability to skip commercials is great. I can watch a 30 minute show in 20 minutes. 1.5 hours of TV becomes 1 hour.
But are the networks aware of TiVo’s biggest threat?
Newer TiVo boxes can connect directly to the internet. Since they are internet enabled, they can download internet content. Combine that with the hard-drive and on-demand abilities, and Tivo is now a television network. Maybe even the television network.
How does it work?
Another way to describe a TiVo is “a box that saves your favorite content, whenever it is played, and allows you to watch it anytime you want.” This is the way many people watch TV. The network is irrelevant. With some marketing savvy, any show could bypass the network gatekeepers and go direct to TiVo. RocketBoom did – and the resulting talent fallout shows a glimpse of what happens when the network is no longer relevant. The balance of power shifts to the talent, or at least equalizes it. Not only will networks lose viewers, they will have to compete on lower margins for high-quality content.
Imagine a future where the web powers the marketing of new shows. Sites like Digg and YouTube will allow dedicated fans to “dig” out the gems and present them to your TiVo. If you like them, subscribe to the show. Gatekeepers need not apply.
TiVo can win because it can be the bridge between the internet and your TV. People still like their TVs. People like on-demand. People don’t like most of what the network chooses for us. People don’t like when the networks tell us we have to watch a show. Shows will need to think creatively about how to monetize their content. Embedded ads? Product placement? Subscriptions? Donations? Those who win will be those who figure all this out.
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A weekly review of culture, politics, and religion. Culture Will the rise of DVRs, like TiVo, make network programming obsolete? "Newer TiVo boxes can connect directly to the internet. Since they are internet enabled, they can download internet content. C
