Elizabeth A Thomas
The use of digital video recorders (DVRs) has caused concern among advertisers and the television industry. Many have argued that the 30-second ad is no longer effective because users of digital video recorders are fastforwarding though commercials. This denies the potential actual usage of the DVR in modern television viewing. Bio-metric research has suggested that it is not the behavior of fast-forwarding that matters most, but actual viewing patterns and choices viewers make coupled with memories of previously-viewed advertisements. In the process of fast-forwarding, viewers must pay attention to passing images and are capable of not only recognizing advertisements but altering their viewing to incorporate DVR use. DVRs are used in order to view specific advertising content based on multiple factors, including past emotional memories. Visual cues within advertising are often provocative enough to stimulate action – stopping viewers from fast-forwarding through ads. Still, the idea persists that when viewers do fast-forward through television advertisements, the ads have a reduced effectiveness. This broad assumption ignores the fact that DVR owners report watching more television, using their DVRs for the primary benefit of time shifting – and not fast-forwarding through advertising. The central motivation for using DVR technology is the ability to watch programming at convenient times. In attempting to avoid advertising, most viewers do, in fact, pay attention to their TV screens. Doing so may result in viewers inadvertently paying even more attention to advertising messages.
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Journal of Mass Communication & Journalism received 205 citations as per Google Scholar report
