# Ads in tivo interface



## mangas (Sep 23, 2007)

Here's my "suggestion" for Tivo:

Remove all advertising embedded in the Tivo interface.

I've been a very vocal Tivo advocate since my first S1 (directivo). I am the tech-savvy geek that friends and family go to for advice on gadgets of all types. My current S3 is probably my 5th tivo unit but my recommendations to friends and family have easily given Tivo 10 new subscribers.

I used to tell people how much I loved my tivo but I don't feel that way any more. The presence of ads within the tivo interface is very offensive to me (even though the ads are not very obnoxious by today's web standards). I would not buy a car which had banner ads on the dashboard, and I would not have purchased my S3 if I had known about the ads now included in the tivo interface.

The #1 feature I value in my tivo is the ability to fast-forward through commercials. I can hardly stand to watch Tivo-less network TV now, because the advertising feels so invasive to me. What Tivo gave with one hand has been taken away with the other.

Of course it is within tivo's right to sell ad space on their device (and yes, I know it's in the user agreement blah blah). As a consumer, it is my responsibility to speak with my wallet.

My long relationship with tivo will end at the completion of my current 3-year subscription. I am sad about this. Tivo used to be such a great product. Tivo could have sold an ad-supported service for $10/month and an ad-free service for $20/mo. People like me would have happily opted for the latter.

Because I already pay what I think is a fair price for tivo's monthly service, I am especially upset by the injection of ads into the Tivo interface. Cable TV customers are already double-charged for their content of course: we pay the cable company each month, and they give us content which is filled with ads. But more and more, ad-averse and tech-savvy customers like myself are reconsidering that relationship too. Since I can get 95% of my current content through a combination of (free) OTA HD, netflix, amazon and bittorrent downloads, I am getting closer to dropping my cable TV subscription completely. Without Tivo, I have one less reason to keep paying Comcast each month. I'll build a nice media center PC to drive my HDTV, script my bittorrent downloads and ad-removal software, and buy/stream other content a la carte.


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## justinrocks58 (Jan 8, 2009)

Hello there,

I just got my tivo today and when i was not connted to the intenet i belive it was not showing the adz! So if you dont use any internet things on there then just disable that and i think the adz on the frontpage go away! I been very happy with my tivo. All tho i agree with you on the adz i dont like see them and then it says puch thubs up to see more info umm no thanks i am trying to skip the ads! So tivo please since we pay yall get rit of the adz!


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## aztex999 (Jan 8, 2009)

I'm with you on that, *mangas*!

What makes it even more offensive, to me, is that I just got laid off, and every time I pause live TV, I have to look at a "Learn more about the Mercedes GLK" banner!

I'm reduced to eating friggin' ramen for dinner and I'm forced to look at Mercedes Benz ads!!??

It made me realize that, at $12.95/mo for my TiVo service, and $6 for a cable box, I'm paying $18.95/mo for a digital DVR.

For 95 cents per month less, I could just rent a DVR from my cable company (and have one less remote to keep track of).

Are you listening, TiVo?


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## justinrocks58 (Jan 8, 2009)

aztex999 said:


> I'm with you on that, *mangas*!
> 
> What makes it even more offensive, to me, is that I just got laid off, and every time I pause live TV, I have to look at a "Learn more about the Mercedes GLK" banner!
> 
> ...


Your right we have a cable dvr that cost us $19.95/mo and its nice becasue it has no ads so when i pause i see nothing accept the screen! But with tivo some times you see a darn ad witch is not cool to me! But tivo better to me becasue it has more features!


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## Kerry (Apr 24, 2002)

Hi Mangus,

Thanks so much for your post.

I like your naming of the irritant "ads within the TiVO interface." I was calling them "Pause ads."

I don't have anything to add here. Your post says it all. I started a post on the TiVO Suggestion Avenue.

I'm wondering if we could start an enrollment campaign here and gather enough names of subscribers who would agree to stop payment for an agreed upon month so that TiVO gets a sense of what it will eventually cost them if they continue to ignore us. No doubt someone at TiVO needs stats/data to support reversing such decisions.

I'm absolutely clear that if we don't speak up now that it will escalate. Each such sneaky step tests the waters to see how much they can get away with and how much we'll put up with.

Kerry


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