David Leonhardt writes:
... Network executives, as you may guess, have done their best to pooh-pooh the impact of TiVo. The head of sales at ABC said a few months back that he would not even negotiate with advertisers who insisted on using only Nielsen's live ratings. The networks also released a study suggesting that DVR owners remember as much about commercials as people without the devices, which is clearly ludicrous. ¶ Privately, though, the executives understand that TiVo is rapidly undercutting the economics of television. Since "24" made its debut in 2001, my wife and I have missed just one episode, yet I don't think we have seen a commercial in three years. We are free riders, enjoying the product without paying the bills. ¶ By 2008, more than one in four households will own a DVR, up from one in eight now, Forrester Research predicts. So television clearly cannot continue moving in the direction it has been moving. ...
Link: New York Times.
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