EDITION: U.S.
zap
ABC's radical new plan for video-on-demand
by Allison Waldman, posted Feb 25th 2008 4:26PM
Are you kidding me? In a bold new way, ABC has come up with a way to keep viewers from fast-forwarding through the commercials! Okay, it's only in the video-on-demand universe (VOD), but it feels like what was once a convenient, fast way to catch up on episodes of your favorite shows is now going to be invaded with ads you cannot avoid unless you walk out of the room.In a move they're touting as a win-win, ABC/Disney announced today an arrangement that "allows local affiliates to participate in the fast-forwarding disabled VOD offering." The network agrees to provide episodes of their top shows for use in local advertising supported VOD services as long as those operators agree to disable the "fast-forwarding" capability so viewers can't zap through the commercials. There'll be ads inserted, both local and national, but not as many as the on-air broadcasts of shows like Ugly Betty, Lost and Desperate Housewives.
TV Squad Hot Topics
Most Popular Articles
From Our Partners
- 'Doctor Who' Season 7 Finale Recap: The Tomb of the Doctor
- Summer Cookout: Recipes from Our Favorite Cooking Shows
- From Kelly to Candice: Ranking the 'American Idol' Winners
- 'The Vampire Diaries' Rankings: Who Was the Baddest Character in Season 4?
- 'American Idol': Ranking the Winners' Coronation Songs
- More From BuddyTV
- With help from Bon Jovi and Tom Selleck, 'North America' goes wild for Discovery
- 'Saturday Night Live' video: Watch Stefon's farewell, Kanye West's new singles and more
- 'Doctor Who' finale Season 7 episode 13 review: 'Name of the Doctor' is a smashing finish
- 'Saturday Night Live' season finale: Ben Affleck and Kanye West win an otherwise forgettable 'SNL'
- 'Saturday Night Live': Amy Poehler is the best at everything, even 'Weekend Update'
- More From Zap2it
- BBC Renews Doctor Who for Season 8
- Hot for Summer! Your Guide to 124 Upcoming Premiere and Finale Dates
- Ben Affleck Hosts Saturday Night Live: What Were the Best and Worst Sketches?
- Finale Ratings: Versus 2012, Shark Tank Surges, Nikita Is Steady and Undercover Boss Drops
- What to Watch this Weekend: The Simpsons and 4 Other Finales, a Mad Man's Surprise and More
- More From TVLine
