Tuesday 22 May 2012

TV ad eraser ‘Auto Hop’ is causing a stir




Cheeky satelite TV provider the DISH Network’s digital video recorder now offers viewers the chance to skip ad breaks for free, but is advertising its services on TV. Known as the ‘Auto Hop’, the promotional push has caused a stir within the television industry. Major producers are concerned over how they can continue producing high quality shows without income from ad revenue and the networks are fuming.

In retaliation, News Corporation is refusing to air any of the Auto Hop ads and the New York Times reports that other network owners are looking at ways to sue the DISH Network. The chairman of NBC Broadcasting,Ted Harbert said: “Just because technology gives you the ability to do something, does that mean you should? Not always.”

Research analysts strongly believe that this move reflects how scared television companies are of subscribers abandoning traditional TV in favour of internet-based firms. But, the DISH Network argue that in the long term they are encouraging viewers to watch more programming as they will become more engaged with the shows. But, who do they think will be funding those shows two years down the line?


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3 comments:

  1. Anyone that already has a DVR is probably already fast-forwarding through the commercials. They are not deleting the commercials and even if you enable the feature before the PrimeTime Anytime shows, you can go back and view the commercials still if you wanted to. My boss at Dish told me about this feature when it came out and I was so excited to try it out. I caught up on my shows from last week; I watched Revenge, Private Practice, and Grimm in the same amount of time it would have taken to get through two shows. Having Auto Hop saves me so much time. Dish is simply making it easier for their customers to get through the commercials faster.

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  2. Thanks for your comment, Anonymous Dish employee. What then do you think is the way forward for funding television networks? Do you think that television consumers will be willing to sacrifice quality television for the sake of not having advertisements every ten minutes? Sometimes it's nice to have a break to brew a cup of tea or put your dinner on, I think.

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  3. Television Advertising will become obsolete and a new term will arrive that is "Digital Marketing"

    visits: Television Advertising | RazorEdge Media

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