ABC It’s As Simple As 1-2-3

This story has been hot in blog posts and other news sites today, but I couldn’t resist commenting on it. It’s about ABC using a technology that would prevent owners of DVRs from skipping ads by disabling the fast-forward button during commercials. This is asinine for three simple reasons:

1) No company should have the right to make anyone watch commercials. The Internet will profoundly alter (directly and indirectly) the way people interact with the product formerly known as TV. Forcing people to watch commercials that may or may not be relevant to them is so 20th Century. ABC should be worrying about finding a way to make ads interesting, relevant and useful rather than reaching out into my living room to put their hand over my DVR’s fast-forward button.

2) Companies like ABC that try to tenaciously hang on to old outdated business models by trying to slow the wheels of change invariably become old, outdated companies.

3) DVRs are popular because they allow people to time shift their entertainment and also save time with content that they may or may not find interesting. These are huge trends that will continue. ABC and companies like Philips can’t stop a trend with a couple acts of stupidity.