Update: Turns out this is indeed an opt-in program. Thanks, Jake!
[Via Reuters]
TiVo looks to serve up demographic data to marketers
Update: Turns out this is indeed an opt-in program. Thanks, Jake!
[Via Reuters]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Iscariote @ Nov 8th 2007 11:20AM
I don't care if Tivo tells marketers that no matter what they show I fast forward through it.
They just dropped their subscription rates which seems like a fine compromise.
Jake @ Nov 8th 2007 11:49AM
Darren, you conclusion-jumping tool.
There are some important pieces of information in that article that indicate who will be affected, if one takes the time to comprehend.
For starters, the sample size is only about 20,000 homes. That is a small fraction of Tivo subscriber homes. Second, the statement that "TiVo will offer marketers the opportunity to survey some of its users via an online poll to ask deeper questions about their viewing habits and their feelings about both the ads and the marketers" is important.
Taken together with the small sample size and the reference to StopWatch, this means that PowerWatch (the name of the new service is part of Tivo's OPT-IN (repeat: OPT-IN) "Tivo Homes" service (http://homes.tivo.com). Tivo Homes is Tivo's market research program, and only opted-in participants offer up their demographic data and "second by second" viewing habits.
The clincher? "How hard did TiVo have to work to get those 20,000 people to give out their personal details? Not very. Giving them the chance to win a new TiVo in a raffle generated more than enough interest, the Alviso, Calif., company says." That "raffle" was to get existing subscribers to sign up for Tivo Homes.
Can we get an update to this fear-mongering post, please?