News Summary: Ergen backs ad-skipping DVR

Published June 27, 2012 11:31pm ET



BENEFITS: Dish Network Corp. chairman Charlie Ergen says his company’s ad-skipping DVR, the Hopper, has a side benefit: It keeps children from watching ads about junk food and alcohol.

HOW IT WORKS: Flip on the set-top box’s “PrimeTime Anytime” service, and the machine records four hours of TV every night from ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox while stripping out commercials.

BATTLES: Dish is in a legal fight over Hopper. Broadcasters suing Dish say the service is unauthorized and violates licensing agreements. Dish has said its service is not much different from how people use other DVRs.