Last summer we got a DVR service to go with our satellite TV. The digital recorder allows us to record shows, pause or rewind live TV and basically watch programs any time we want with the ability to fast-forward commercials. Someone told me before we got it that it would change how we watch television and he was absolutely right. Slam dunk. No more channel surfing or wasted time; we only watch what we want to watch.
Well, this method of watching TV is killing networks and their advertisers, whose livelihoods depend upon people watching stupid crap they don’t want to see in order to see things they do. That’s why, according to this New York Times article by Bill Carter, one network is preparing a counter-attack.
Locking in Viewers to Watch the Commercials
By BILL CARTERLooking to strike a blow against the proliferation of digital video recorders, the ABC network, its affiliated broadcast stations, and Cox Communications’ cable systems are establishing an on-demand video service that would allow viewers to watch ABC shows like “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives” any time they choose.
The catch: It uses a new technology that disables the viewers’ ability to fast-forward through commercials.
Because the best way to deal with changing trends is to adopt them in a way that excludes their very appeal. Yes, I love my DVR, but I don’t just want to watch my SHOWS when I want, I need to watch tampon commercials, too.
This may buy ABC and other networks a few years to figure it out, but Big Media will have to find a way to maintain advertising revenue without forcing people into the old concept of commercial breaks. The executives that figure out that riddle will own 21st century. Perhaps literally.
Ironically, when Tivo first came out the studios did absolutely nothing. They didn’t even raise a fuss. They didn’t understand it, so they ignored it. Oops!
Now this sort of piracy is considered legal, and even studio executives happily use it without remorse. So they can’t make people stop using it, and the only fix is to control it by joining with the cable companies.
Myself, I use BitTorrent to download shows. Sometimes people will tell me it’s unethical, and I’ll just laugh and point out their Tivo boxes.