In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, he declared the response “better than good” for the box, which was launched late last year.

And “advocacy” – the all important phenomenon in which customers willingly encourage their friends and family to go out and buy the product for themselves – has exceeded anything he had experienced in other businesses he’s worked in, he said.

“People who have it absolutely love it; it’s a new way to watch television,” he claimed.

VM’s own internet research seems to back up the “new way to watch” claim, suggesting that one-in-four TV shows watched in a TiVo household don’t start with the viewers browsing the electronic programme guide. Instead, they appear to be finding content using the array of additional features TiVo uses to try to ease that process.

Berkett added that VM hopes to have all TV customers on the TiVo platform within about 4-5 years.