• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, November 29, 2006

TiVo, once the would-be assassin of television advertising and now looking to find ways to enhance it, is giving marketers an option that might partly combat its ad-skipping function. The maker of the most-talked-about DVR will allow advertisers to run an ad on the screen after a recorded--and perhaps ad-skipped--show is viewed.

Billed as "program placement," advertisers will be able to make buys tied to certain shows. For example, Burger King may choose only to post a spot after a time-shifted viewing of "24," MasterCard after "The Office" and the Weather Channel following "Lost."

The question, however, persists that if TiVo (and other DVR users) are rabid commercial-skippers, how likely are they to want to stick around and view promo material after a show has finished and they have fast-forwarded through the ads en route? Another hurdle is that in order for consumers to view "program placement" plugs, they will need to opt-in.

Marketers apparently think compelling creative will do the trick. BK, for example, is running longer-form content, including a video for its own branded Xbox 360 game. And the Weather Channel will be promoting two of its meteorologists featured on a new show by showing them in action.

And marketers will apparently be able to gauge whether viewers will stick around for the "program placement" displays. TiVo says it will provide "commercial ratings"-style details on how many people are watching.

BK, MasterCard and the Weather Channel are part of a batch of marketers that also include GM and Court TV, which TiVo says have signed up for the service.

"Program placement" is the latest move by TiVo--which has become a symbol of the massive threat DVRs pose to broadcasters' principal revenue stream due to ad-skipping--to court advertisers with options to reach its users, even the ad-averse.

"In today's shifting media landscape, it's vital for advertisers, media companies, content providers and technology leaders such as TiVo to work together to provide solutions that benefit all of us," said Betsy Lazar, GM's executive director of advertising and media operations.

"For the DVR audience, the traditional embedded 30-second spot has been lost to the fast-forward button," said Craig Woerz of Weather Channel agency Media Storm. "That said, it's not all over for advertisers."