Brief: TiVo chooses Sponsorship for the User

TiVo, the digital video recorder that can adapt to the tastes of its users, has come under fire for forcing sponsored programming upon them.

A new 'Advanced Content' feature automatically records certain programmes, adverts and other promotional material. It manifested itself last month by recording the second episode of the BBC sitcom 'Dossa and Joe', adding it to the system's main menu screen and refusing to delete it for the next week.

TiVo claims that this feature does not affect a viewer's use of the system, since sponsored programmes are recorded on a reserved section of the hard disk, and only if the viewer isn't watching or recording something else. Elsewhere it has been dubbed 'hijacking' and 'spam television' and complaints centre round its compulsory nature, with no opt-in or opt-out.

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