How TiVo killed live TV
For a while, it seemed like everyone had a TiVo. It was a plot point on major TV shows; it had A-list Hollywood fans; it became a verb as ubiquitous as Google or Xerox. The love was well-earned, since TiVo had created a product that felt genuinely like magic. You could pause live TV. And rewind it. And even set shows to record for later, knowing they'd be there whenever you needed them.
There's a reason you almost certainly don't have a TiVo now, though. The company quickly became a victim of its own success, and never managed to turn its game-changing concept into a big business or a truly lasting hit product. Meanwhile, the changes it hel …