TV manufactuers and other low margin consumer electronic producers manage to do OK on volume without a subscription fee. Tivo needs a minor amount of money per month to cover the cost of obtaining the TV guide information, but it is not close to their regular fee.

Frankly I think this is a ripoff and IF it interferes with my watching, I’ll just build a cheap media center with an old PC and not pay anything per month…

But I reprogrammed my Tivo when I first got it (you can find instructions on the internet). Now one of my buttons skips 30 seconds at a time. A few clicks and all commercials are gone without me even seeing them in fast motion. It doesn’t sound like I’ll even notice this new change.

Five years after its launch, TiVo still hasn’t turned a profit and doesn’t expect to until January 2024

That’s a shame, because I think TiVO service is awesome. I hope this company lives long

My kid still totally absorbs the commercials at hyperspeed though.

Antidote: Only watch Boomerang, one of the best stations ever created!