Via Slashdot comes this report that ABC Television is advocating technology that would disable the fast-forward button on Digitial Video Recorders.
ABC HAS HELD DISCUSSIONS ON the use of technology that would disable the fast-forward button on DVRs, according to ABC President of Advertising Sales Mike Shaw, with the primary goal to allow TV commercials to run as intended.
“I would love it if the MSOs, during the deployment of the new DVRs they’re putting out there, would disable the fast-forward [button],” Shaw said.
While MSOs risk losing some of their DVR customers if fast-forwarding were blocked, Shaw said the cable operators–who are beefing up their own local ad sales operations–”are in the same business we’re in.” “They’ve got to sell ads too,” he said. “So if everybody’s skipping everybody’s ads, that’s not a long-term business model for them either.”
This isn’t entirely surprising, after all, television networks derive their revenue from selling commercial time and, if advertisers begin to think people fast-forwarding through their commercials, advertising rates will be adjusted accordingly.
What is suprising is that ABC apparently doesn’t think that consumers would be upset by such a move:
Shaw also threw cold water on the idea that neutering the fast-forward option would result in a consumer backlash. He suggested that consumers prefer DVRs for their ability to facilitate on-demand viewing and not ad-zapping–and consumers might warm to the idea that anytime viewing brings with it a tradeoff in the form of unavoidable commercial viewing.
“I’m not so sure that the whole issue really is one of commercial avoidance,” Shaw said. “It really is a matter of convenience–so you don’t miss your favorite show. And quite frankly, we’re just training a new generation of viewers to skip commercials because they can. I’m not sure that the driving reason to get a DVR in the first place is just to skip commercials. I don’t fundamentally believe that. People can understand in order to have convenience and on-demand (options), that you can’t skip commercials.”
He’s kidding, right ? Does he really think that the class of people who invest in DVR’s want to watch the insipid commericals his network runs ?
We don’t own a DVR, yet, but you can bet I would use it to fast-forward through commercials if we did. Even now, we usually end up hitting the mute button while the commercials are on anyway. You can make us look at them, maybe, but you can’t force us to pay attention.
July 7th, 2006 at 2:56 pm
What, are they deliberately trying to raise TiVo’s stock price? If the cable company’s DVR can’t fast-forward through commercials, TiVo will supply a DVR that can.
July 7th, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Brad,
My understanding of the article is that they are lobbying the firms that make all DVRs to include the anti-fast-forward technology in the next generation of DVRs.
July 7th, 2006 at 8:48 pm
Alright, then all you normals will be screwed, while techie geeks like myself can build our own DVR’s out of an old PC, which I already did…
And build some that skip commercials to sell to the normals…
July 7th, 2006 at 10:56 pm
Brad,
If nothing else it means I need to get a DVR now before they change the techonology. Or maybe make my own as well…..
July 8th, 2006 at 10:15 am
Removed
So go ahead ABC. Maybe VCRs will become popular again, and see what that does to you. That is as likely as the return of 8-tracks, but my guess is people and technology will adjust.
July 8th, 2006 at 10:21 am
[...] Doug at Below the Beltway is right. Who is Mr. Shaw kidding? What person wants to watch commercials if they don’t have to? Some channels run commercials and promos over and over again. Like The Golf Channel or Lifetime, after two or three viewings you want to throw something at the television. I really think Shaw knows little of how the average person sees television advertisements. [...]
July 25th, 2006 at 9:40 am
[...] Doug at Below the Beltway is right. Who is Mr. Shaw kidding? What person wants to watch commercials if they don’t have to? Some channels run commercials and promos over and over again. Like The Golf Channel or Lifetime, after two or three viewings you want to throw something at the television. I really think Shaw knows little of how the average person sees television advertisements. [...]