ABC Wants to Disable Your Fast Forward Button

[Chris Gohlke]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060709-7218.html' target='_blank'>http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060709-7218.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Mike Shaw, ABC's President of Advertising Sales, said this week that he would love to have the opportunity to shut down the "fast forward" button on users' DVRs. Though he did not claim that commercial-skipping TiVo owners were thieves, Shaw is clearly unhappy with how easy it is to skip his network's ads. From the network's perspective, this is probably the best way to neutralize ad-skipping, which has taken its toll on network ad revenues over the last few years. Trying to talk a company like TiVo into disabling features that consumers want is probably a hard sell, but cable companies might be more receptive to the idea. Most cable operators also make money from local ad revenue, and would stand to gain revenue by making it harder for their customers to skip ads."</i><br /><br />Depending on the degree of customer backlash, the cable companies could be all over this. Even if there is some backlash, I'd bet that ABC would be willing to pay a fee to the cable companies to block fast forwarding. Even if a legally mandated broadcast flag never materializes, I'd bet that the flag will still exist and expand in the future through voluntary agreements like the idea posed here.

[sojourner753]

My thoughts are what are the alternatives?

I'd gladly give up my fast forward button if it meant less of those bottom feeder ads.

You know the ones. Those graphics that appear suddenly and take up the bottom 5th of your screen. Sometimes you actually miss something important in what your watching. :roll:

Okay, maybe I'm not willing to give up my fast forward button, but some of the alternatives are much more intrusive. Atleast I can get up and go to the bathroom during commercials.

[Felix Torres]

The best alternative is to not watch ABC.

Which, as things stand now, is an easy thing to do; they really don't carry any compelling shows, anyway.

Those folks don't seem to get it: their business model is broken. They no longer can serve two masters so they need to choose: either they serve the needs of their viewers or they serve the needs of their advertisers. Of course, if they favor the advertisers too strongly, the viewers will walk and they'll end up with neither...

[Jason Dunn]

This is the start of things getting ugly: there are enough DVRs/PVRs out there that commercial skipping has become a real issue that the TV empire is now paying attention. The "age of innocence" as it were is now over. Now it becomes a battle where consumers will have to speak up, and speak up LOUDLY, in order to stop this from becoming wide-spread.

[Damion Chaplin]

they really don't carry any compelling shows, anyway.

You obviously don't watch Lost. :)

[Phoenix]

Let's see... We all skip commercials so much that they're taking notice and want to remove the FF feature... Hmmmm... I wonder why we all skip commercials so much?

Could it be that commercials suck? Could it be that there are too many of them? Mmmm... yeah... yeah, I think so. Thirty minutes of pathetic commercials in an hour long program is too much and definitely will be skipped.

And what if they succeed in making this happen? Did they forget that we have the mute button, too?

Yeah, good luck with that one, ABC.

ABC. All Boring Crap.

[Felix Torres]

they really don't carry any compelling shows, anyway.

You obviously don't watch Lost. :)

Nope.
I'm "Twin Peak"-ing it.
Which is to say, I'll wait til the series ends; if the reviews say it sucks (like Twin Peaks) I'll have spared myself a lot of grief.
If it proves to be actually good, I'll pick up the DVDs.
I do the same with 24.
Works like a charm.
(Worked great with X-files, too; it never went anywhere but at least they didn't drag me along for the pointless ride...) ;-)

[Crocuta]

I would simply stop watching TV if I couldn't fast foward through the commericals. As is, I often stop in the middle of the commercials when something flying past catches my eye, so they do get some benefit from them, but if they made me make the choice one of watching them in real time or not watching at all, then I'd not watch at all. I'd just cut off my cable and order a big ol' 8 movie subscription to Netflix or something.

[bluemax]

Sorry for getting into this discussion so late but I can't let it pass.

ABC CAN BITE ME! They've ruined their best show - "Lost" - by pumping it so full of commercials it is no longer watchable. Is it any wonder the online version (iTunes) is 20+ minutes shorter than the 65 minutes they occupy in the schedule grid? That's a huge chunk of the program time spent pushing feminine hygene products and soft drinks!

Bill B