TiVo head honcho Tom Rogers has put the television networks on notice; you're not moving fast enough to adapt to ad-skipping.
In a speech at the National Association of Television Program Executives in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Rogers said TiVo was working on new methods for advertisers to reach consumers and he urged others to do the same. Citing Google as an example, Rogers emphasized the importance of "contextually based" advertising.
"In two to three years, the TV industry is going to face an advertising crisis that is more severe for it than this current financial crisis," said Rogers. "You need to take this threat as immediate...The entire landscape of TV consumption is about to be turned on its head."
Rogers noted that there are 30 million DVRs in US homes today, with that number expected to pass 50 million in the next three years - still less than half of the total US homes. As such he conceded traditional commercial advertising still has a future, particularly for programs generally watched live, such as sporting events.
