VITAMEDIAS
Coming Soon: A Horror Show for TV Ads: TiVo's digital recorders indicate that viewers don't necessarily watch the ads, even on hit shows. Agencies and networks are still in denial [...]
Yet the world of TV advertising is about to become a lot more scientific. On June 2, personal-video-recorder outfit TiVo (TIVO ) unveiled an analytical tool that can tell advertisers, agencies, and networks not only how many people tune in for a show but whether they're watching the ads. Unlike a Nielsen rating, which relies on surveys filled out by viewers, TiVo's system tracks what a viewer records and tunes into, even when the channel is changed -- although, thankfully, it still doesn't know if you head for the kitchen for something to eat.
TiVo can also pinpoint where and when ads are watched the most. For example, a commercial for breakfast cereal might be skipped through less often in the morning on the West Coast than during pricey prime-time slots in the East. "This is the beginning of the end of that drunken orgy of dollars spent on broadcast TV as the ultimate 'reach' vehicle," says Tim Hanlon, vice-president for emerging contacts at Starcom MediaVest, an ad agency that helped TiVo design its new service.