WPP have been busy this week:

WPP Group forms partnership with TiVo
Author: Gareth Jones

WPP Group has formed a partnership with TiVo, the American personal video recorder (PVR) company that has developed technology allowing viewers to skip TV commercials.

It’s understood that the deal will see WPP’s media planning and buying agency brand GroupM buy a pre-arranged amount of advertising on TiVo’s PVR service.

TiVo offers advertising in a walled garden on its hard drive allowing viewers to access commercials and branded content on demand. The TiVo showcase stores longer ads that often reward viewers with discount coupon offers.

The Tivo services is not currently available in the UK but it’s technology is similar to BSkyB’s Sky+ PVR that allows audiences to pause live TV.

I guess that makes it similar to FoxTel Australia’s IQ? Hmmm customisation of TV content by the user on one hand and the purchase of LiveWorld’s online community expertise on the other? It would be lovely if that presaged a merging of virtual communities with TV but I doubt it does… yet. The loyalty/reward function has possibilities.

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