[Signabeademia]

25 May 2012 Last updated at 11:58 GMT BBC News

A legal row has erupted in the US over a set-top box that lets viewers skip over adverts in recorded TV shows. Three US TV
broadcasters, Fox, NBC and CBS, have sued the maker of the device, Dish Network, in a bid to ensure viewers see ads.

Dish Network has filed a separate lawsuit which asks a court to declare that ad-skipping can go ahead. The networks fear that
if viewers cannot see ads their main source of revenue will dry up.



Cost crunch

The Hopper digital video recorder was unveiled in early 2012 by Dish Network. On 10 May it added an "auto hop" feature that
allowed viewers to completely skip over adverts that interrupted shows they had recorded.

The lawsuits of the TV networks, which were filed individually, allege that the ad hopping is illegal because it involves the gadget
making an unauthorised version of a copyrighted TV show. In its lawsuit Fox claims showing a programme without ads amounts
to re-broadcasting - which violates agreements Dish has with the company.

Fox spokesman Scott Goggin said the ad hopping feature could end up "destroying the fundamental underpinnings of the
broadcast television ecosystem". The large US TV networks depend on cash from ads for survival. Worldwide spending on TV ads
looks set to reach $200bn (£128bn) by 2017.

To fend off the claims of the networks, Dish has asked a court to look into the row and declare that the Hopper DVR does not
violate copyright.

Dish Network is the second largest satellite broadcaster in the US and has about 14 million customers.