ABC vs. USA

Because, of course, skipping commercials is tantamount to theft.

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.

I would love it if everyone stopped watching ABC shows.  That’s what happens when you try to screw your clients.

Except, of course, the viewers are not the clients.  We don’t pay for commercial TV.  Advertisers to.  We’re just fodder for the advertising mill. 

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.”

La-la-la-la-la … I can’t hear you … la-la-la-la-la …

Has Mr Shaw actually spoken to, oh, anyone about this?  Or is it just his devout hope that this crazy opinion is reality?

People hate commercials.  They really do. The only blessing of commercials — with the exception of the occasional amusing one — is that they give you time to run to the kitchen or the bathroom.  If people didn’t want to skip commercials, they wouldn’t do so, right?  To make up reasons otherwise is to live in a fantasy land.

DVRs are popular for two reasons, based on all polls that have been taken:

1. They allow relatively painless time-shifting of TV shows to view.
2. They let you skip through commercials.

That ABC is conspiring (openly) to get rid of the latter just shows the contempt that they hold their viewers in.  You will watch our commercials, whether you like it or not.  If we could, we’d shackle you to the chair while they were playing.

Now, as much as it galls me, I will confess that Shaw has a point:  commercial networks get their money from ads, and advertisers pay money for folks viewing those ads.  So if fewer people are viewing the ads, the advertisers will spend less and the networks will make less money. 

 But a cardinal rule of commerce is you don’t make the customer settle for less than what they are getting.  That’s part of Shaw’s acting now, while DVRs have only a 10% penetration, but even now it’s too late.  People are used to (or are used to hearing) about how DVRs let you FF through ads.  Take that away — be seen as the folks conspiring to take it away — and you become the first up against the wall come the revolution.

I could see maybe doing something to digitally flag commercial breaks, so that you couldn’t FF once you were within two seconds of a commercial starting or during it.  That would let folks FF across shows to the point they want to see or show or share or look up, but would protect those precious commercial breaks.  But that’s a last resort.  How about thinking outside the box?

What are the alternatives to commercial breaks that people want to skip over (if they didn’t want to, after all, it wouldn’t be a problem)?  Maybe make ads more interesting (incent people to watch them) or briefer (disincent them to bother FFing).  Product placement in shows is another option, which is aesthetically annoying but less so than explicit ads. 

Hell, like I commented over on Les’s site, double my cable bill and send the monthly difference straight to the networks (esp. the networks I watch).  I’d pay more to see fewer commercials. (Though I can also then hear the cry for federal subsidies for the poor who can’t afford to skip commercials and thus are victimized by the advertising industry …)

But whatever the answer is, don’t cripple the technology some of us — the early, influential adapters — have come to love.  That’s a great way to get a grudge going that will never do your company any good.

Are you listening, ABC?

(via Les and BoingBoing)