Dish's network DVR that auto-skips broadcast commercials has been deflecting networks' attacks in the courtroom, but Disney reportedly succeeds at the contract bargaining table instead. March 3, 2014 3:39 PM PST Dish's Auto Hop enable screen. (Credit: Dish) Dish's fortifications protecting its contentious Auto-Hop feature on theHopper remote DVR just started to crack. In order to renew an agreement that will ensure Dish continues to carry Disney channels like ABC and ESPN, the satellite television distributor agreed to disable the automatic ad-skipping feature on its Hopper network DVR for three days after a program is broadcast, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. The report said that ABC is dropping its litigation as part of the deal, the financial terms of which were unclear. Representatives for Dish and Disney didn't immediately respond to CNET emails seeking comment. Related stories Dish's Hopper legal win against Fox stands -- again Dish said to abandon $2.2B takeover bid for LightSquared Dish updates Hopper with companion Joey set-top boxes, and Google Glass app Dish focuses on multiroom streaming with wireless extenders, apps for LG TVs, PlayStation, Android Dish at CES 2014: Join us at 11 a.m. PT Monday (live blog) The Auto-Hop feature -- which lets customers automatically skip commercials on broadcast television recordings -- has been an embattled tactic, praised by consumer advocates as much as it has been criticized by television programmers. The networks say the ad-skipping feature threatens to destroy the advertising system that supports their content and that Dish doesn't have the right to tamper with advertising from broadcast replays for its own economic and commercial advantage. Dish has argued that consumers have the right to privately watch shows anywhere, anytime. So far, the networks haven't had much success halting the product in the courts, but Disney -- by using its high-demand channels as leverage -- seems to have found the successful route to crimping the practice. (Disclosure: CNET is owned by CBS, which is one of the networks suing Dish over Hopper.) However, it's an avenue that relies heavily on timing. Contracts between programmers like Disney and distributors like Dish over the terms for carrying the channels are long-term deals, with multiple years intervening between when they are signed and when they expire.
Dish's network DVR that auto-skips broadcast commercials has been deflecting networks' attacks in the courtroom, but Disney reportedly succeeds at the contract bargaining table instead.
Dish's Auto Hop enable screen.
(Credit: Dish)
Dish's fortifications protecting its contentious Auto-Hop feature on theHopper remote DVR just started to crack.
In order to renew an agreement that will ensure Dish continues to carry Disney channels like ABC and ESPN, the satellite television distributor agreed to disable the automatic ad-skipping feature on its Hopper network DVR for three days after a program is broadcast, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. The report said that ABC is dropping its litigation as part of the deal, the financial terms of which were unclear.
Representatives for Dish and Disney didn't immediately respond to CNET emails seeking comment.
Related stories
- Dish's Hopper legal win against Fox stands -- again
- Dish said to abandon $2.2B takeover bid for LightSquared
- Dish updates Hopper with companion Joey set-top boxes, and Google Glass app
- Dish focuses on multiroom streaming with wireless extenders, apps for LG TVs, PlayStation, Android
- Dish at CES 2014: Join us at 11 a.m. PT Monday (live blog)
The Auto-Hop feature -- which lets customers automatically skip commercials on broadcast television recordings -- has been an embattled tactic, praised by consumer advocates as much as it has been criticized by television programmers. The networks say the ad-skipping feature threatens to destroy the advertising system that supports their content and that Dish doesn't have the right to tamper with advertising from broadcast replays for its own economic and commercial advantage.
Dish has argued that consumers have the right to privately watch shows anywhere, anytime.
So far, the networks haven't had much success halting the product in the courts, but Disney -- by using its high-demand channels as leverage -- seems to have found the successful route to crimping the practice.
(Disclosure: CNET is owned by CBS, which is one of the networks suing Dish over Hopper.)
However, it's an avenue that relies heavily on timing. Contracts between programmers like Disney and distributors like Dish over the terms for carrying the channels are long-term deals, with multiple years intervening between when they are signed and when they expire.
