If you leave the room when the commercials come on, or if mute the sound, or don't pay attention to the ads, or if you simply use your VCR to record a program and then fast-foward directly through commercials...have you broken the "contract" then? Does that make you a thief? It's a ludicrous argument...but, then again, without the almighty advertising dollars, *can* non-subscription television turn a profit and continue to supply us with programming?

Millions of daytime soap watchers will soon be in jail for fast-forwarding through commercials when they get home.

Dumbasses.

How can they? Production's expensive, figuring in all the cancelled flops and bombed pilots. Moreover, the price advertisers pay for airtime fluctuates with each program, based on the ratings, reported and projected, so it's in constant negotiation. It would be stupid for these head mooks publicly to support spot-skipping. That's why they posture - obviously with stupendous ludicrosity - to protect the current dollar-value of their airtime. But they'll stall on new tech only until they figure out how to make equal or more bucks off it.

"Because of the ad skips...."
Who is this guy (the shit), no wait I already read his bio

"It's theft. Your contract with the network"!!!! Woa big fella, I aint got no contract with anybody, esprss or impleyed...you wanna come into my house you better be polite or I'll go read a book on your ass...

"when you get the show is you're going to watch the spots."
What under regular TV rules I gotta hold my water in order to ingest some crappy popiel spiel...
"Otherwise you couldn't get the show on an ad-supported basis." No? Ever heard of Public Broadcasting.

I got Tivo an lemme tell you soming...you broke the contract when you began awefering those godaweful shows back in the 60's that were nothing but filler for cigerette ads. cheese I'm steamed. TIVO for ever, I sound some pederast acolyte, I feel like running home right now and rolling over a few Lexus and Dimatap commercials.

"Any time you skip a commercial or watch the button you're actually stealing the programming."
 anyone know if you can Fedex a hot poker to SoCal without violating the interstate tariff?