Viewers still using TiVo will soon see ads before their recordings
The digital TV recording company TiVo is back in the spotlight with some upcoming changes and new products.
TiVo had its heyday back in the early 2000s before DVR and streaming were everywhere, but it still has a few million subscribers. Those viewers will soon be subjected to ads playing before their TV recordings.
It's a bit ironic for the company that gained popularity for letting you scrub through ads during TV shows and programs. On its website, TiVo still lists this as a benefit: "[We] give you the power to skip ads."
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According to an industry news outlet, the ads will go out to all users with the latest software version known as TiVo Experience 4, but will be skippable. That's a relief. But users aren't too happy. On a TiVo online forum one user wrote, "If they start doing this to me I'm out. No way they're forcing me to watch ads on a device I paid almost $1,000 for with lifetime service."
The ad rollout is happening over the final months of 2019.
More changes are coming for the decades-old recording device, as well. In 2020, TiVo is unveiling its newest hardware device: a dongle. CNN reports the small device will attach to the back of TVs and work with the Android TV platform. It will cost about $50.
In October, a new digital service called TiVo Plus will launch for free for anyone with TiVo products. It's a recommendation service using AI to help you wade through the countless TV shows and movies available.
UPDATE: Sept. 23, 2019, 10:15 a.m. PDT TiVo responded with a statement about the upcoming ads and the decisions to add them.
A spokesperson said in an email, “We’re dedicated to innovation that helps our customers stay in control of how, when, and what they watch. Advertising is an important part of every media business and TiVo is investing in new advertising experiences. We have designed our new DVR advertising units with the ability to 'skip' ads anytime a customer hits 'skip.' This is part of our ongoing commitment to bring our users the best media discovery experience possible.”
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
