Vizio, best known for selling big HDTVs for less than the competition, is jumping into TV show production.

The Irvine company is executive producer for ”VIZIO PRO-FILES,” a  new show on Fox Sports Net hosted by Fox Sports broadcaster Laura Okmin.

The 30-minute show debuts Friday at 11 p.m. on all Fox Sports Network stations. The first episode features Green Bay starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who replaced Brett Favre. Each episode will re-air at 6 and 11 p.m. Tuesdays,  9:30 p.m. Thursdays and at 3:30 p.m. Fridays.

Upcoming profiles will include Brian Urlacher, LaDainian Tomlinson, Adrian Peterson, Larry Fitzgerald, Chris Henry and Tony Dungy.

But is this just a big commercial for Vizio?

The first episode has Okmin and Rodgers kicking back next to his swimming pool at his off-season bachelor pad in San Diego. There’s footage of him in a fashion shoot and a detour to Atlanta to spotlight his record company Suspended Sunrise. No sign of any Vizio TV except during the introduction.

In the announcement of the new show, Vizio says that companies need to reconsider how to spend their “media dollars” in this age of the fast-forward button on DVRs.

“The proliferation of DVRs is forcing every company to reevaluate how it spends its media dollars,” Jason Maciel, director of marketing at VIZIO said in a press release. “VIZIO’S PRO-FILES represents a shift for us to move beyond traditional media buys to the development and ownership of branded content.”

Interestingly, you can’t fast-forward or rewind the show online.

Vizio also retains the rights to re-air every episode on its Web site. It’s not just a fleeting investment in a TV commercial, the company said.

I have answered questions about Vizio’s involvement and will post answers as soon as I get them.

Past news on Vizio:

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