• Reuters, Thursday, April 17, 2008 10:45 AM

By allowing viewers to skip past commercials when they save their favorite shows, TiVo made things tough for advertiser. But it is now attempting to kiss and make up by selling data on what viewers are watching during every second of every show. TiVo's Stop Watch service, rolled out a year ago, is aimed at creating a fuller picture of TV viewing habits to help advertisers understand how a commercial is playing. The standard audience measurement from Nielsen Media tracks what viewers are watching on a minute-by-minute basis, but with most ads being :30s, TiVo has srated to make inroads with some big media clients.

"At this point in time, the big question is: When people have DVRs in their homes, how are they time-shifting and how are they fast forwarding?" says Todd Juenger, TiVo's General Manager, audience research and measurement.

But DVRs are still a minefield, especially with time-sensitive ads that lose their point when a show is recorded to be watched later. "When people start time-shifting and fast-forwarding, the idea of the detailed commercial rating becomes hugely important," Juenger notes. "If there weren't DVRs, I'm not sure much would have changed in the TV ratings business."

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