TiVo: Press pause

TiVo: Press pause

From Version History by The Verge

January 11, 2026 · 1h 6m

About this episode

This episode explores the technological and cultural impact of TiVo and its legacy in television.

Best remote ever? Best remote ever. When TiVo first debuted, it felt like magic: You could pause live TV! You could rewind it! The concept immediately became a phenomenon — even though TiVo itself was never as big a hit as you might think. On this episode of Version History, David Pierce, Nilay Patel, and author and journalist Emily Nussbaum tell the story of TiVo’s technological and cultural revolution, why the company never managed to be as successful as its brand, and how it changed TV for good. Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Hosts: David Pierce, Nilay Patel

Guest: Emily Nussbaum

Topics covered

  • TiVo
  • technology
  • cultural revolution
  • television history
  • media innovation

Keywords

  • TiVo
  • remote control
  • live TV
  • rewind
  • television
  • media
  • technology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: TiVo, The Verge

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