TiVo, one of the greatest inventions of our time, has announced something that runs contrary to everything the TiVo stands for -- skipping ads and commercials. TiVo will be adding ads to the pause menu that will display while programs are paused.

At least it's not announcing a method to force us to watch commercials. TiVo is in a bit of a bind when it comes to customers recently, with people leaving the service. Zatz Not Funny quotes TiVo saying, "Using the TiVo Pause Menu, advertisers can, for the first time, reach audiences with targeted product messages displayed within the pause screen of a Live or Timeshifted program. The feature provides an original solution for advertisers seeking to capture the fast-forwarding viewer. It’s another example of how TiVo offers unique and different solutions for advertisers looking to get viewers to watch advertisement."

The pause ads are only on Series2 TiVo systems after the 9.3.2 update. It is safe to assume that Series3 and TiVoHD DVRs will also get the paused ad treatment. TiVo may be setting a precedent here and starting something non-TiVo DVR owners will end up facing in the future as well.

Via Zatz Not Funny