Proving once again that if there's something that's convenient and pleasing to the consumer people wearing fancy ties will ruin it, it turns out ABC and ESPN have figured out a way to disable to fast-forward function to zip past commercials.

The Wall Street Journal reports Disney's ABC and ESPN will soon offer Cox cable systems "hit shows and football games on demand — but with the unusual condition that Cox disables the fast-forward feature that allows viewers to skip ads." The groundbreaking deal [was announced yesterday] at the National Cable & Telecommunication Association's annual convention in Las Vegas.

Sadly, you can't fast forward through the actual programming either.

ESPN First Major TV Network To Figure Out How To Turn Off Your Tivo [Sports By Brooks]

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