TiVo Says Viewers Still Tune In for 'Relevant Ads'

TiVo's first report from data collected by it's second-by-second analysis tool, PowerWatch, reveal that viewers aren't skipping through all the ads with the handy fast-forward feature - apparently consumers are still giving a moment of their precious time to ads they see relevant to their own lives.

I don't know about you, but on my DVR, I stop for nothing.

Results show that everyone is time shifting, regardless of demographic segment - with 66% of ads being skipped during prime time viewing. Aggregate data for all networks and all time slots concludes that about half of ads are skipped, overall.

The PowerWatch report also shows that all TiVo users skip about the same number of ads - regardless of how long they've been using the service. Though everyone is moving at about the same pace, the type of content skipped varies greatly by demographic - and it trends much in the way that you'd expect. For example, homes with children under 12 viewed 22% more toy and game ads than other groups and adults over 50 viewed 15% more political ads.

"If you have an ad that is relevant, you are more likely to pay attention," said Todd Juenger, vp, gm, audience research and measurement, TiVo. "Commercial skipping is not as random as some people think and there are clear differences by demographic group."

All of this amounts to some good news for advertisers - even though the likelihood of someone viewing you ad has been cut in half, chances are the people who ARE pausing to take in your creative genius are precisely the audience you'd handpick if given the opportunity.

Unfortunately for you, you're still paying the cost for all those indifferent eyes. Perhaps TiVo should begin reimbursing you for decreased reach.