TiVo Wraps Up Service Discounts for the Holidays

Thinking of snapping up a new TiVo for the couch potato on your list? Good news: TiVo just announced a series of discounts for the monthly service fee. Also: the lifetime subscription plan returns.

First, a word on the cheaper fees (first reported by Crave): they're for new customers only, effective now through February 2, 2008. It's a bummer, but at least lucky recipients of a new TiVo can save a little cash.

Anyway, here are the details: the $16.95-a-month one-year subscription is now just $12.95/month; one year of pre-paid service is now $129 (from $179), and the two-year plan is now $249 (from $279). The price of the three-year plan stays the same ($299).

Now, for lifetime subscription offer: if you already own a TiVo and you get another TiVo under your current account, you can buy a $399 lifetime subscription for the new box (about $100 more than a similar deal last year, as Crave points out). Huh—call me crazy, but I liked the $299 lifetime offer a little better. And no, you can't just turn your existing TiVo subscription into a lifetime plan.

Oh, and another thing: think the whole TiVo subscription deal is ridiculous? You'll find fuel for your fire at Boing Boing Gadgets, where blogger Joel Johnson argues (convincingly) for TiVo to dump its fees, pronto.

Related:
TiVo offers a temporary price break on its service fees [Crave]
Hey TiVo, Ditch the Subscription! [Boing Boing Gadgets]