Do we sin by skipping the commercials?

[Seamus]

Commercials pay for the programming we watch on television. If I use Tivo or some other technology to skip through the advertising that normally appears in those programs, do I sin? (e.g., stealing) Is it a grave matter, or is it the moral equivalent of switching the channel to watch another game while there are commercials running on the first game?

Thanks.

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Hi Seamus,

They would love you on Madison Avenue. The answer is no! You owe advertisers nothing!! They owe you! The advertising industry is the largest industry we have—and in some ways the most insidious. This goes for the networks as well. You can be sure that they always land on their feet. When one avenue stops working for them, they diversify and find another. I suggest you watch the movie, “Quiz Show.”

Tivo is legal. Let the advertisers and networks deal with the challenge. It’s their problem. You are under no obligation (moral or otherwise) to watch their commercials.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.