VCRs did that long before streaming became popular, as in those days the only way ads could appear were as directly in the video signal.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Commercial_skipping" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Commercial_skipping</a><p>Not surprisingly there was some legal action, but I think it&#x27;s rather unenforceable in practice, and saying it&#x27;s illegal to do so is nearly equivalent to saying that you do not have the freedom to change the channel, look away, or even close your eyes - a rather scary situation.