News
CBS CEO: Dish's Ad-Zapper Is Illegal
By Swanni 

Washington, D.C. (May 18, 2012) -- CBS CEO Les Moonves told the Wrap.com yesterday that Dish Network's new Auto Hop feature, which eliminates network commercials during recorded playback, is illegal.

"They can't put our content on without commercials," Moonves told the web site. "They just can't do it. It's illegal." The CBS executive stopped short of saying the networks would sue Dish, but he added, "You never know."

Moonves' comment is the latest salvo in the networks' attack on Auto Hop, which was added last week to the satcaster's Hopper HD DVR. The feature, which automatically skips commercials, only works with the set-top's 'PrimeTime Anytime' network recordings. (The Hopper automatically records all primetime shows on ABC, Fox, NBC and CBS.)

NBC Chairman Ted Harbert last week said Auto Hop was an "insult" and an "attack" and Fox announced that it would not run any Dish commercials that promoted Auto Hop.

Moonves said Auto Hop could dramatically change how the networks operate, saying it would be impossible to produce a show like CSI without viewers seeing the show's ads.

Dish has maintained that Auto Hop merely gives viewers what they want -- an easier way to watch their favorite shows without commercial interruption. But Moonves' comment yesterday suggests that the networks will not allow it to continue without a fight.