• Triangle Business Journal, et al, Tuesday, May 4, 2010 11:35 PM

TiVo hasn't hurt television advertising or changed consumers' buying behavior, reports a Duke University researcher. Some predicted that TiVo and other digital video recorders, or DVRs, which record television programs and allow viewers to easily fast-forward and rewind, would kill television commercials. But Triangle Business Journal says research indicates skipping through ads has no impact on buying behavior.

 

Carl Mela, a professor in Duke's Fuqua School of Business, says about 95% of people still watch television live and cannot fast forward through the commercials. Even those without a DVR can skip commercials by using the breaks for other purposes. While viewers fast-forwarded through about 70% of the commercials in shows they recorded, they still watch the screen to know where to resume play, meaning, they are still being exposed to the advertisements.

When DVRS like TiVo went mainstream, advertisers assumed the traditional 30-second TV spot was doomed. Most advertisers surveyed said they planned to reduce their television ad budgets in response, notes Physorg. But TiVo isn't kryptonite to advertisers.

The study's authors tracked purchases of new products, advertised products and store brands across 50 categories, as well as the viewing behavior of those with the DVRs. No matter how the researchers looked at it, DVRs did not affect what people bought. The survey was in partnership with Information Resources Inc. and TiVo. Mela and colleagues from The University of Chicago and Tilburg University conducted a three-year field study.

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