Dish Tweaks Ad-Skipping DVR Service To Be More Broadcaster-Friendly

Back when Dish Network first released its AutoHop ad-skipping DVR feature, the service automatically recorded prime-time network broadcasts so that viewers could watch all their favorite NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox shows at a later date without having to fast-forward through commercial breaks. But now that Dish has been sued by those same broadcasters, AutoHop is slightly less “auto.”

According to Variety, two recent AutoHop tweaks seem to be concessions to litigious broadcasters:

• Rather than default to recording all broadcast networks, users select which ones to record.

• Now, when users are given the option to skip ads, the default is set to “no,” instead of “yes.”

The broadcaster lawsuits against Dish allege that the satellite provider is violating copyright law by editing broadcasters’ content when it processes recorded content to remove commercials.

Some networks have responded to the AutoHop by refusing to accept ads for Dish.

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