I don't know how TiVo feels, but I always thought their lifetime subscriptions were a good way to seed their initial customer base. Lifetime is a little misleading because it's tied to the TiVo hardware, not the lifetime of the customer, but I still think it's relevant. TiVo started with a big problem of knowing they had a product that people would love if they tried it; in that instance, getting people past a hurdle of paying of monthly costs kind of makes sense, especially if they become devoted customers who tell their friends. I'm sure it also didn't hurt their cash flow.