Apparently ABC will be testing free downloadable (streaming?) versions of Desperate Housewives, Lost, and Alias during May and June. The shows will be available the day after broadcast. The catch is that there will be commercials -- three of them, each one-minute long, all from the same advertiser -- and you won't be able to skip through them. You will still be able to purchase the commercial-free versions from iTunes. ABC execs are curious to see how the public reacts to this test, as some information suggests that the iTunes downloads may have actually increased viewership in some cases. Experiments with new delivery channels have become a must for broadcasters, as some key advertisers have indicated they will make massive cuts in TV spending once the number of TiVo/DVR sets in the US reaches 30 million.
[All just a summary of something I heard on NPR now. Presumably there is or will be something on the net that someone will link to later.]
― someone let this mitya out! (mitya), Monday, 10 April 2006 21:53 (twenty years ago)