TiVo Expands Stop||Watch(TM) Ratings Service Sample Size to 100,000 Households

TiVo Expands Stop||Watch(TM) Ratings Service Sample Size to 100,000 Households

- Begins Providing Ratings for Networks Unmeasured by other Industry Sources -

ALVISO, Calif., Nov. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ:TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services and advertising solutions for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced that it has expanded the scope of its Stop||Watch(TM) ratings service by substantially increasing the sample size from which it derives its anonymous, second-by-second audience research data from 20,000 to 100,000 TiVo subscribers. As a result of the increased sample size, the Stop||Watch(TM) ratings service now provides users with ratings data derived from a sample that is 25 times larger than what the industry is currently provided through other panel-based measurement sources. This increased sample size allows TiVo to produce stable ratings measurements across lower viewership cable networks currently unmeasured by the industry currency, including Sprout, Noggin, Planet Green, and Sleuth, to name a few.

The TiVo set-top-box data platform offers significant advantages over traditional panel-based services, including:

* Second-by-second granularity. Enables ratings for each specific
commercial.
* National footprint covering all signal sources, including digital
cable, analog cable, satellite, and over-the-air.
* Monitoring Live and Timeshifted viewing. Provides visibility into
DVR viewing behavior and commercial fast-forwarding.
* Unprecedented 100,000 sample size. Dramatically decreases the
margin of error, allowing us to provide stable ratings (both Live
and Timeshifted) for networks with viewership too low to be measured
by panel-based services.
* Passive Observation. No paid panelists. No obtrusive metering
equipment. Everybody just watches TV as usual.

"The Stop||Watch(TM) ratings service is delivering TV audience research that was unfathomable only a few years ago," said Todd Juenger, Vice President & General Manager, TiVo Audience Research & Measurement. "We are especially pleased with the enthusiasm being generated by the ratings we're providing for previously unmeasured networks. In this day and age, where highly fragmented Internet audiences are being measured click-by-click, it is unacceptable to have television networks with hundreds of thousands of viewers with no source of measurement."

To demonstrate the power of the Stop||Watch(TM) ratings service, TiVo released data showing a year over year comparison of broadcast program and commercial primetime viewing for the month of September.

Interestingly, a comparison of September 2007 to September 2008 demonstrates an apparent resurgence in program viewership for the broadcast networks. Commercial Ratings for the same period rose in line with Program Ratings, indicating that viewers continue to fast-forward through commercials at historical rates. Commercial fast-forwarding rates for primetime broadcasts in 2008 were virtually identical to 2007, increasing one percentage point to 58% from 57% a year ago; meaning commercial avoidance remains an issue even as broadcast networks experience growing viewership when DVRs are factored in.

"As this year's TV season has kicked off, there has been much speculation and debate about whether audiences are up or down, largely driven by frequently observed declines in overnight ratings," said Juenger. "The Stop||Watch(TM) ratings service highlights just how meaningless overnight ratings are in a world of proliferating DVRs. Viewing of primetime broadcast programming is up among TiVo subscribers - driven by a huge 24% increase in Timeshifted viewing, proving once again that DVRs are a broadcast networks best friend as well as potential threat. For the first time in decades, we are witnessing an industry disruption that is working in favor of broadcast networks by increasing their audiences. But this same disruption also enables commercial fast-forwarding, making it harder to monetize those audiences."

Broadcast Program/Commercial Viewership Lift -- September Year Over Year

Program Rating Commercial Rating
Viewing Fall 08/Fall 07 % Change Fall 08/Fall 07 % Change

Total 13% 9%
Live Viewing (5 Second Interval) 5% 5%
Timeshifted Viewing 24% 23%
Near-live Viewing (Within 1 Hour) 20% 19%
1-6 Hour Delay 32% 34%
6-24 Hour Delay 20% 20%
24-48 Hour Delay 29% 30%
48-72 Hour Delay 29% 27%
72 Hour to 7 Day Delay 26% 26%
7-14 Day Delay 27% 26%

Nine new series made their premier during the month on the broadcast networks, including the highly anticipated series Fringe, from J.J. Abrams, the creative mind behind Lost. Fringe won out among new series premiers for the month, taking the Top Spot for both Total and Timeshifted viewing.

New Series Premiers - September 2008

Program
Program Ratings
Ratings Time-
Program Total Shifted %
Rank Episode Network Broadcast Time Viewing Viewing Timeshifted

1. Fringe FOX Tuesday Sep 9
at 8:00PM 10.2 7.2 70%
2. The Mentalist CBS Tuesday Sep 23
at 9:00PM 8.6 5.2 60%
3. Worst Week CBS Monday Sep 22
at 9:31PM 5.8 2.8 48%
4. Knight Rider NBC Wednesday Sep 24
at 8:00PM 5.0 2.6 51%
5. Gary Unmarried CBS Wednesday Sep 24
at 8:30PM 4.4 2.2 51%
6. Hole in the Wall FOX Sunday Sep 7
at 8:00PM 3.2 1.1 34%
7. Do Not Disturb FOX Wednesday Sep 10
at 9:30PM 3.2 1.4 44%
8. Opportunity Knocks ABC Tuesday Sep 23
at 8:00PM 2.8 1.0 24%
9. Privileged CW Tuesday Sep 9
at 9:00PM 2.8 1.5 53%

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The Stop||Watch(TM) ratings service, introduced in February 2007, is offered via an easily sortable database of ratings for nationally run programs and advertisements from cable and broadcast networks, with data going back to September 2006. The service now tracks ratings for 66 nationally distributed, ad supported networks, and covers all nationally distributed programming and commercials aired from 5:00am - 11:30pm,.

TiVo's Power||Watch(TM) ratings service provides advertisers access to second-by-second program and commercial ratings data, with demographic segmentations, for 20,000 households who have volunteered to take part in a "passive" consumer panel. The Power||Watch(TM) ratings service provides subscribers the ability to look at TV viewing broken down by standard household demographics including income, geography, ethnicity, number of children and tenure of TiVo subscriber, among others. TiVo can associate household data with the viewership data then produce program and commercial viewership reports by aggregate demographic and behavioral audience groups. All reports prepared by TiVo using this data are anonymous.

Subscribers to TiVo's Stop||Watch(TM) ratings service and Power||Watch(TM) ratings service include: Omnicom Media Group, CBS Corporation, The Interpublic Group, Starcom, Zenith Optimedia, Carat USA, MPMA, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Media IQ and Euro RSCG New York.

TiVo Stop||Watch(TM) ratings service data is derived from a daily, aggregate, anonymous, stratified random sample of 100,000 TiVo subscribers -- from which the second-by-second "clickstream" of behavior and viewership is collected and assessed. The Stop||Watch(TM) ratings service includes data for: Total Viewing, Live Viewing, Timeshifted Viewing (less than 1 hour, 1-6 hours, 6-24 hours, 24-48 hours, 48-72 hours, 3-7 day, and 7-14 day delay and C3), Program Ratings, Commercial Ratings and a Commercial Viewership Index. The Stop||Watch(TM) service uses ad occurrence data from TNS Media Intelligence to identify commercial spots. For more information on the TiVo Stop||Watch(TM) ratings service, visit https://stopwatch.tivo.com/.

About TiVo Inc.

Founded in 1997, TiVo (NASDAQ:TIVO)(NASDAQ:-)(NASDAQ:News) pioneered a brand new category of products with the development of the first commercially available digital video recorder (DVR). Sold through leading consumer electronic retailers and our website, TiVo has developed a brand which resonates boldly with consumers as providing a superior television experience. Through agreements with leading satellite and cable providers, TiVo also integrates its DVR service features into the set-top boxes of mass distributors. TiVo's DVR functionality and ease of use, with such features as Season Pass(TM) recordings and WishList(R) searches and TiVo KidZone, have elevated its popularity among consumers and have created a whole new way for viewers to watch television. With a continued investment in its patented technologies, TiVo is revolutionizing the way consumers watch and access home entertainment. Rapidly becoming the focal point of the digital living room, TiVo's DVR is at the center of experiencing new forms of content on the TV, such as broadband delivered video, music and photos. With innovative features, such as TiVoToGo(TM) transfers and online scheduling, TiVo is expanding the notion of consumers experiencing "TiVo, TV your way. (R)" The TiVo(R) service is also at the forefront of providing innovative marketing solutions for the television industry, including a unique platform for advertisers and audience research measurement.

TiVo, 'TiVo, TV your way.', Season Pass, WishList, TiVoToGo, Stop||Watch, Power||Watch, and the TiVo Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of TiVo Inc. or its subsidiaries worldwide. (C) 2008 TiVo Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Source: TiVo Inc.

CONTACT: Mike Boccio, +1-212-446-1867, mboccio@sloanepr.com, for TiVo
Inc.

Web site: http://www.tivo.com/

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