PVR Wire

1. That's a pretty serious charge to suggest that TiVo is manipulating their stock price ahead of earnings. If anything they would want to release the data at the same time as earnings to support the stock if things are as bad as you seem to suggest. I think that the wave of good news is really more just good fortune for the company. They only had limited control over the patent verdict and that likely played a role in the Cox negotiations and with the extra Cox ad deal in place, it makes it even more attractive for someone like Omnimedia to enter into these agreements, especially with the S3 and new interactive ads coming out.

You could be right that TiVo has been bottling up all this news just for today's earning's event, but my suggestion would be to put away the tinfoil for now and wait until their conference call this afternoon before speculating on the company's motives.

Posted at 1:56PM on Aug 30th 2006 by Davis Freeberg

2. So let me get this straight. I pay Tivo a monthly fee so that they can turn around and sell my viewing habits to an ad agency. This is just wrong, wrong, wrong. Consumers need to be aware that companies are making money selling data that rightly is the consumer's to sell! And even more insulting - you are getting charged for the right to have your own data sold!!

I'm surprsed nobody has filed a law suit against Tivo. They claim they are charging for the programming guide and that software. It is not made clear that they are charging you for the right to sell your data to other companies. I wish more consumer's would recognize what is going on and take their business elsewhere - of course where is the question. As much as I hate the cable comapnies, at least they don't sell my viewing habits from their DVR's. And Microsoft's media center 2005 actually seems to work.

So there are choices out there you should investigate.
Don't let any company (Tivo or others) charge you for selling your own data!!

Posted at 7:32PM on Aug 30th 2006 by Joe Skyler

3. Joe,

Quit complaining. If TiVo can make money selling off such data, then eventually they'll drop their service fees.

Do you really care if advertisers know you watch Skinamax? I hate to break it to you but your cable/satellite company already knows what you watch, and they also report the data to their advertisers.

Plus, a lawsuit against TiVo would be rejected by the courts after it was filed because there is a disclaimer when you first sign up for the service. You can also opt out of the aggregate viewer data reporting as well. If you didn't bother to read such terms and conditions, you have only yourself to blame.

Furthermore, as more people buy TiVos, the better chance there will be of TiVo becoming a counterweight to the tyranny of the 6,000 dullard Nielsen families who currently determine what is shown on television as well as which of your favorite television shows gets cancelled (their historical motus operandi) each season.

Oh, by the way Joe, every website you visit is tracked. Maybe you should stop using the net if you are so paranoid, or should all webmasters be burdened by being required to send you via snail-mail terms and conditions of using their website to divulge that obvious tidbit to you?

Posted at 8:12PM on Aug 30th 2006 by The Jeremy

4. Uh-oh another tin foil hat person. Seriously, how can you even talk about going to the alternatives. Do you realize that Open TV (aka Dish and Time Warner) not only track what you watch, but (outside of the US) actually use that data to target ads to you. Take a look at their agreement sometime and you'll be shocked. TiVo is selling AGGREGATE data, this means they don't know that YOU are watching skinamax, it means that they know a lot of people are watching skinamax. Of all companies out there TiVo has fought for privacy more then any of them. You would be hard pressed to find a more consumer friendly company that is willing to protect your data. (props to Google, but even Google tracks personalized data if you create an account with them) Don't believe me, read the find print that your cable or telco has for their internet service or that any random website uses. It might keep you up at night if you do because they not only use that data, but also sell it to the highest bidder. There are even hospitals that have figured out ways to legally sell your medical data under the guise of research. My advice is to take a pair of pliers, remove the microchip that the dentist put in and feed it to your dog, then they'll think that you have some strange fetish for kibble n' bits instead of knowing the truth that you really like watching Matlock once in a while.

Posted at 9:47PM on Aug 30th 2006 by Davis Freeberg