Apple Service Would Let Users Skip TV Commercials

Last year, we wrote about Apple getting a patent that would allow users to skip over commercials on podcasts and video and now it's one step closer to reality - by paying off cable companies and television networks.

The idea isn't a new one. In fact, broadcasters sued Dish Network when users could brush past ads last year, according to journalist Jessica Lessin. Apple intends on doing something a little different, by offering a premium service that would allow users to peruse commercial-free and Apple would have to pay off networks for lost ad revenue.

Lessin wrote that Apple's new service will be more elaborate than its $99 set-top box known as Apple TV. However, many people with DVRs are already used to fast-forwarding through ads, so how is Apple's version different?   

According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the patent calls for "seamless switching between radio and local media" and says a mobile device will automatically switch between broadcast content and stored media to offer give the user a respite from ads. Mainly this would mean listening or viewing other media while the ad plays for 30 seconds to several minutes.
 
Is a minute-long video of one's own choosing better than a commercial? Perhaps, but it may not be worth paying a monthly cost to do so.
 
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