Fast-forward towards profit?
TiVo, the San Jose company known for re-inventing television viewing through digital video recording, will begin selling advertisers data it collects on the viewing habits of its subscribers.
TiVo says it does not identify individual viewers but will customize the report to track, for example, viewing habits of Silicon Valley subscribers during the Super Bowl, the finale of American Idol or the Academy Awards.
« This is fascinating information, » said Josh Bernoff, principal television analyst with Forrester Research in Cambridge, Mass. « Privacy is an addressable concern, » he said. « Theoretically, TiVo knows a huge amount of information about an individual. But they’ve sworn not to use it except in aggregate and are adamant about sticking to that pledge, » said Bernoff, who does not have a business relationship with TiVo. « As long as TiVo stays in business and maintains that pledge, I don’t think it’s a problem. »
From SiliconValley.com.