February 25, 2008

ABC Looks To Fight DVR's With Mandatory Commercials

ABC Networks, its affiliates and Cox Communications are expected to announce a new video-on-demand service today that will allow viewers to watch ABC shows anytime they want. Definitely a big plus for busy fans of shows such as Desperate Housewives, who after missing one episode are completely lost for the remainder of the season. The new service is an outright attempt on the network's behalf to fight the use of digital video recorders such as the TiVo, which enables on-demand viewing of TV shows and lets you fast forward through commercials. And that's where the catch comes in.

The new service will allow you to watch your favorite ABC shows on-demand, but disables commercial fast forwarding. In exchange for your shows when you want, you'll be forced to watch commercials, although the on-demand commercials will be much shorter than what you're used to on traditional over-the-air TV.

"As network and affiliates, we both have an interest in slowing down the explosive growth of DVRs," Mr. Cole said. "This is about combating DVRs. As we developed this at every stage, there was an agreement that however we put this together, disabling the fast-forward function was key."

Via New York Times