PVR Wire

1. Sounds like a dinosaur that just doesn't get it.

If a network tries to force me to watch their ads I will simply not watch shows on that network.

Here's a novel idea, make commericals that are entertaining that people may actually want to watch, it not just for the Super Bowl anymore.

Posted at 5:47PM on Jul 6th 2006 by Robert Aitchison

2. it really doesnt matter what he wants. there will always be a better to way to skip through ads.
also with new ads geared towards pvr's, his ranting really does not mean a whole lot....

Posted at 7:33PM on Jul 6th 2006 by michael

3. I think he's a complete idiot. If I were forced to sit through 8+ minutes of ads for every half hour of content, I'd just stop watching most of the shows I watch today. It just isn't worth it, especially since I actually find many of the ads irritating and/or insulting. And I'm not interested in MOST of the crap being pitched.

The ad-driven business model is dying a slow death. It is time to find a new way to fund the content - product placement, for example. Or give me targetting ads - like Google AdWords - by working WITH DVR vendors like TiVo. I use TiVo's new Product Watch feature, which is basically Ads on Demand, because I can find promos for things I want to know about - like new movies or DVDs, or new cars. (Not that I'm in the market for a car, I have a new car, but I'm interested in them.)

I'm not going to switch toothpaste, shampoo, painkillers, etc, based on ads. Period. I'm a single male, I have no need for feminine hygene products. I'm not interested in Girls Gone Wild - besides, if I was I can get it free online. ;-) I don't drink crappy American beer, like Bud. The ads I do catch when zapping through them have little interest.

Some ads are clever. I like the Geico gecko - but I live in MA with regulated insurance, so competition is non-existant, rates are set by the state, unfortunately. I like the new "Ask Dr.Z" ad for DaimlerChrysler - but I own a Dodge Charger already. I didn't buy it because of any ads, I bought it because I drove by the dealer regularly and saw it on the lot and wanted it.

Advertising, as it stands, is a shotgun approach. Throwing ads at the audience and hoping you catch enough of your target group. That's why more and more people are turning to DVRs to skip the ads, because they are mostly irrelevant. And it will just get worse. Think of it as banner and pop-up blocking for TV. If they try to take it away, it'll just drive more people to piracy via BitTorrent, etc. Or completely away from TV in the first place. More and more people just wait for the DVDs as it is.

Posted at 11:17PM on Jul 6th 2006 by MegaZone