"This program cannot be fast forwarded"

You got that right. Even online videos show a commercial first, EVERY freakin' time! And they used to be 11 seconds long or so. Now they're 30 seconds long and getting longer! I remember a few years back when the stadium the Marlins played in (who knows what it was called at that particular time) was so saturated with advertising, even the foul poles were pencils with Office Depot ads on them. I am SO sick of this. Yeah, I know somebody has to pay to keep the content "free" but as MysteryMan sez, and I concur, it's getting to be TOOOOOO MUCH!!!! I've got a lot more to say, so stay tuned. We'll be right back after this word from Kraft Macaroni & Cheese...

 

Too late....We just switched to Verizon, and on my phone (Convoy 2) I get treated to the "Daily Scoop" each morning. I have no idea what it is, but I do have to delete it before I can use the phone.

 

Or just download the episode online where there are no commercials and ads and you can skip around all you want. Its junk like this that has pushed me online more and more.

 

If you take the helicopter view, it is just the program providers struggling with trying to find a new business model that works for them. This is also why you see a lot of product placement these days. I usually don't mind that, except when it begins to detract from the viewing experience or drives the plot.

The worst case of that I've ever seen was a failed NBC show where they engineered an entire scene in a 1-hour drama just to get the lead actor to drive one of Ford's new models for a couple of minutes, a scene that had nothing at all to do with the plot line.

But the business model created in the 50's where folks will actually sit through the commercials because they have no other recourse than to read a book or shut the tube off and go to bed makes little sense anymore, specifically because we have all of these new distractions, primarily the internet and 300 cable channels. As a broadcaster my first impression of seeing Netflix stream on an iPad was not "Wow! that's pretty cool!" Instead, my reaction was "Oh $#!+, we (broadcasting) are in real trouble."

Tech growth keeps accelerating, and it will take a while for media to figure out how to deliver content to us in the best way, but making us watch commercials is kind of doomed. Since I got my first BetaMax in 1975 I have skipped hundreds of thousands of commercials, so the advertisers probably think I owe them millions for all of the otherwise free content I have consumed, but then Showtime and HBO are getting me back by making me pay $15 a month for channels where I watch one program, like Dexter or Real Time with Bill Maher.

But they really do need some sort of business plan that allows us to support the industry, whether it be PPV or commercials or product placement or what have you. We don't want the TV and movie industry to end up like the music industry, which barely exists and has crumpled so badly that artists have no motivation to record or write music anymore.

What we have on our side is competition. That keeps the product cheap and diverse and from turning to crap, at least. And it keeps the real draconian approaches like no FFWD from taking hold as well. They know better than to do that for everything, as it will just drive us to the internet or turn us into pirates. They can't be stupid enough to kill the golden goose that consumes all of this product, or the viewership will dry up and the content will disappear.

 

Fixed it :lol:

 

As others have said, the best way to show your annoyance is to just not watch the channels with VOD

I can't stand the 'Cant FF' crap and thus choose not to watch them. I dvr the shows and get to FF through the ads like I want

I would not be shocked to see channels FORCE commercials on us in the future

 

Old thread I know, but I just ran into this for the first time while trying to watch Whitney on VOD. Umm... yeah, I think I'll just watch it online instead. Not gonna waste my time on crap like this where I can't even FF. Yeah, I didn't want to watch it THAT bad.

 

I've got no problem with this. If I screw up and forget to record something, I like having VOD as a backup. If not being able to skip commercials is the "price" that I have to pay for this added convenience, I'm OK with that. I'd rather have to watch commercials than miss the show entirely.

 

If people recording VOD from ABC/NBC are upset about the FF issue, they should talk to the owners of THR22's and see how unhappy they are about the channels. :lol:

 

Instead of us having to wonder, maybe you could tell us a little bit about whatever you are referring to? Thanks.

 

Yes, I pay a premium to Directv for my programming and I'll be damned if I am going to PAY to watch commercials, and now, they aren't just one or two, I just downloaded the "Wake up Call" show and the first set of commercials had like 7 or 8 commercials, I was wondering if they were even going to show the damn program again, it just went on and on which is why I HATE watching regular TV. If my DVR won't let me fast forward through commercials, then I don't need it. Directv can go EFF itself. I will just pay $2 on Amazon or iTunes to watch my programs without commercials. It's worth it to me, and I will just punt Directv altogether. Even their stupid overpriced NFL Sunday Ticket isn't worth it if I can pay $40 a year to get every single NFL game AFTER it's played on NFL rewind, and I can fast forward to the start or each play, or even watch the game in 30 minutes as they cut out all the crap and just show play after play without huddling etc...and most games are 30 minutes tops. So I can watch all the games cheaper on my computer, so what if it's late? I can get my Seahawks games live on a local channel HD through the air Antenna, and I can use a DVR function on a laptop and record the game and fast forward through the commercials then or just watch it live, which is fun, so no big deal, but I won't let Directv or ABC force me to watch commercials, I don't care what you say Shaqdan, and yeah, NBC will get the message if enough people tell them to go eff themselves. CBS has the best shows right now anyway, by far.

 

Maybe you should forgo watching TV and take up knitting.

 

Or reading a newspaper, wait, no, there are adds on the newspaper as well, oh well.....

 

HI
My Viewpoint on watching commercials is simple, and it may be the posters reason too, I'm guessing.

Why I do not want to watch commercials is simple that my time to watch TV is limited. Watching Commercials means I can watch less show. Thus Commercials = Bad, Not being able to skip them is extra bad.

Happy Holidays
TBoneit

 

If it's that important to be able to skip commercials, we have opportunity to do so by recording a program when it initially airs. When we do, we can skip commercials to our hearts content. However, if we forget to do so, or didn't know about a program when it initially aired, there may be a fallback possibility of watching that program On Demand. The "cost" of this fallback is that we have to watch commercials. Realistically, what is the motivation for a commercial based channel to provide VOD if they can't get ad revenue out of it? We don't pay more for VOD.

Personally, I like the fact that, if I forget to record something, I still have the opportunity to watch is via VOD. If the price of this is commercials, I can live with that. It motivates me to remember to record things when they actually air.

 

I believe whether commercial-skip and fast forward works is allowed is controlled by the contract with the content provider. I can see, since VOD viewing is probably not counted in a program's ratings on which advertising rates are based, that the providers might require you to sit through the commercials.

 

If you can't fast forward through commercials use them like a intermission. Back in the day we'd take a bathroom break or go to the kitchen and grab a snack or beverage while the commercials were playing. You can also use commercial time to let your dog out, check your text messages, use TV Apps to check sports or local weather. Learn to be creative. The mucky mucks may be able to prevent fast forwarding but they can't force you to sit there and watch their bull sh*t.

 

MM-

Had some of the same thoughts: Like old-timey TV!

Yes, I dislike the loss of FF ability, but glad there's an option to catch a missed ep or two.

 

Don't tempt them! They'll add a quiz after the last commercial break that you have to pass if you want to watch the end !rolling