The good news for Cox Cable customers: ABC and ESPN have agreed to offer top shows and football games on demand.

The bad news: Cox will disable fast-forwarding on those programs.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Disney-owned networks insisted that ad-skipping be turned off for those programs as part of the deal.

What's most surprising about this arrangement is that it hasn't been tried before. While viewers with personal video recorders in their homes get to decide whether to watch the commercials, previews for upcoming shows, or slow bits of Lost is entirely up to the viewer. But cable companies have a lot more control over how customers watch video on demand programs.

I'm not sure there'd be a revolution in the streets if Cox disabled fast forwarding on every program, but it certainly wouldn't be popular. But for premium content, it makes a lot of sense as a way for Cox and Disney to make money.

[via Zatz Not Funny]