TiVo Gets CBS Show Early

Television networks habitually see TiVo and other PVR systems as enemies: commercial skipping and timeshifting skew the networks' assumptions about ad revenues and ratings. CBS will be the first such network to take a step towards embracing PVRs instead of shunning them: the provider announced Tuesday that it would give TiVo subscribers the premiere episode of "The Class," a new comedy for the Fall season, a full week ahead of its official debut. Moreover, CBS will also be providing previews of the shows "Jericho," "Shark," and "Smith" at the same time, and will give TiVo subscribers a chance to automatically record all four shows through one season pass. There is no word on how CBS will handle ads for the advance release.

By Electronista Staff