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As the DVR became more and more popular, many in the TV industry feared that commercial-skipping would destroy the medium. But it turns out many DVR-users still watch commercials. Bill Carter of the New York Times says the numbers are startling and the DVR actually helps ratings.
Thanks so much for this story Brooke...like so many things in life, the tragedy of the DVR turned out to be a blessing for a struggling industry.
I am going to blog about change and cite this as a prime example of how disaster can, and frequently does, have unforeseen benefits.
It always amazes me that the TV industry itself never realized the value of time shifting, and failed to do the appropriate research 20-years ago when the VCR introduced this concept into most North American homes. TiVo is only new in the technology it provides to simplify the process of recording networked content. However, millions of TV viewers managed to master the VCR -- even seniors! (the flashing "12:00" is yet another urban myth)-- and for two decades made use of this device to watch their favourite TV programs at their convenience and not that of the originating networks. And even fast-forwarding the commercials still gets the advertiser's message implanted in our minds, since we have watched the commercial in real time at least once before but now capture the message subliminally as it zips past on the screen. (A greater impression than were we to go into the kitchen or bathroom while the 3-minutes of ads airs in real time!)
So why all of a sudden is TiVo the revolution that the VCR was not?
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