TV Junkie: Wednesday

On Monday the NY Times reported that ABC and Cox Communications are collaborating on a video-on-demand service with disabled fast-forward, meaning, yeah, that you can't skip the commercials. This isn't that new an idea as Time Warner Cable has been doing the equivalent with two features called "Start Over" and "Look Back" (after using them IMHO they stink).

This is another example of old media protectionist attitudes that think the strategy is to avoid being competitive and innovative and to try to hoard a dwindling supply of poker chips. Perhaps ABC should look at the research NBC is doing, per an article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, that has discovered that DVR users who fast-forward through commercials are retaining more of certain commercials and content than live program viewers. Evidently content featuring Matt Damon and Mr. Mucus from the Mucinex commercials (right), really sticks in your head after you fast-forward through it - what is this telling us?!