ESPN FIRST TV MAJOR NETWORK TO TURN OFF YOUR TIVO: The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports Disney’s ABC and ESPN will soon offer Cox cable systems “hit shows and football games on demand — but with the unusual condition that Cox disables the fast-forward feature that allows viewers to skip ads.”

The groundbreaking deal is being announced today at the National Cable & Telecommunication Association’s annual convention in Las Vegas.

Most importantly, the agreement between the networks and cable operator “could make it easier for the major networks to make their most popular shows available on demand for free.” In other words, making it easier for the major nets to do an end-run on TV ad-skipping software from companies like Tivo.