Tivo… the supposed ad-killer… now aims to become the advertisement helper.  Let’s face it, ads can be helpful to consumers when they’re actually interested in being influenced, pitched to, etc.  This is a large appeal of search marketing - consumers can find what products they want.  So… Tivo doesn’t want to stop at helping consumers tune out commercials; now they want to help TV watchers tune into relevant ads when they want them. 

Sounds like a Google-killer to me.  Hu?  Think about it: Does the Almighty Google.com (in its current state) help you or hinder you in your search for relevant ads or commercial information?  I tend to find its user interface cumbersome and riddled with garbage (i.e. type in just about any irrelevant word and receive “Looking for ______?  Find exactly what you want today.  eBay.com").  I’ll skip the “thanks to affiliate marketing programs” rant on this one.

Could Tivo beat Google to the punch by offering a better way for consumers to tune INTO advertisements?  Could Tivo give consumers complete control over advertisements and, thereby, become a more useful and popular utility?

*** THIS JUST IN *** December 2, 2005
MarketingVOX reports Tivo is stepping up the pace and getting into e-commerce.  Subscribers can now search local movie listings, purchase tickets, download music and exchange photos via Yahoo.