For a small subscription fee plus the price of the hardware, Australians will be able to pause live high definition TV, fast-forward ads, record shows and series from any of the free-to-air digital TV channels, and access broadband content such as video-on-demand.

The impact on advertising dollars may be significant, with magazines, newspapers, direct mail and large format printing all set to gain if the technology really does lead to TV viewers skipping through ad breaks, and marketeers switch their budgets away from TV and into more direct advertising routes.

TiVo technology though may lead to a more interactive TV advertising experience, so may recoup the potential loss. For instance if there is an ad for a football game the viewer could click through and buy tickets, if there is an ad for a movie the viewer could download the movie there and then. They could then go back to the TV show they were watching, without missing a moment.

TiVo has taken the US by storm, with the number of people skipping ads estimated to anywhere between 40-80 per cent.

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