An interesting article on the effects of DVRs and advertisements on TV:
Viewers who watched live better remembered ads a day later than viewers who used DVR to fast-forward through commercials at 6x normal speed. But the DVR group still recalled ads and recognized brands at twice the expected rate, given the fast-forwarding and the complete loss of sound from the commercials.
“People were in a hyper-alert state emotionally, because they don’t want to miss their show,” Marci noted.
Seeing a familiar ad also jogged memories among both live viewers and DVR viewers. The ad recall of DVR viewers shot up from 15 percent to 53 percent when they had seen the ad before.
Such findings reinforce earlier small studies that suggest advertisers can still reach the coveted “Heroes” audience that fast-forwards through commercials. Some advertisers have even begun developing ads that take advantage of the hyper-alert gaze by centering bigger product images on the screen.