Not Into Football? Tivo Lets You Watch the Ads and Skip the Big Game

Not interested in football? Tivo lets you watch the ads and skip the Super Bowl

By Simon Cohen February 1, 2019

For football fans, it doesn’t get any bigger than the Super Bowl. But for everyone else, it’s the Super Bowl ads that offer some of the year’s most engaging TV content — a fact that hasn’t escaped the attention of Tivo. For the second year in a row, the DVR company is flipping the script on its traditional ad-skip feature, letting viewers skip the game portions of the Super Bowl in favor of the ads. Tivo calls it GameSkip and the feature works both online and on the company’s lineup of DVRs. Last year, 18 percent of those who recorded the Super Bowl on a Tivo, used GameSkip to bypass the game.

To take advantage of GameSkip, you need to record the Super Bowl, and then wait about one hour after the game ends. At that point, you should see the green “skip” icon appear next to your recording. Simply start the recording, and hit the green skip button on your remote, or use a voice command, anytime the ads come to an end and you’re interrupted by all of those men throwing and chasing the pigskin. Best of all, GameSkip knows the difference between the two main on-field attractions: The half-time show, which is a major TV event unto itself, won’t be skipped as you race past the game portions of the broadcast — you wouldn’t want to miss Maroon 5, now would you?

If you’re wandering around making a snack while you consciously avoid the game, you can always ask Alexa to do the skipping for you. Oh, and don’t worry, when that Amazon ad comes on — as you know it will — we’re told your Echo device should mind its own business.

If you don’t have a Tivo subscription, you may not be able to skip the game, but you can still watch it in its entirety. We have a handy guide on how to watch the big game online. Thinking those ads really deserve a bigger screen? Here are some of the best deals you can still score on a new TV before the weekend.

Here’s another thought: If gridiron action isn’t your thing, but you still like the idea of getting together with friends this weekend, why not have a Super Bowl ad party instead. Our menu plan for the big day will work even if you have no idea who is on the field.

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