|
Popular TV shows free on web
11/04/2006 12:14 - (SA)
New York - Walt Disney Co's ABC
Television will offer some of its most popular shows, such as
Desperate Housewives and Lost, for free on the internet in
a two-month trial, the company said on Monday.
Advertising revenue will support the trial run on ABC.com,
with advertisers AT&T Inc., Ford Motor Co., Procter & Gamble
Co and Universal Pictures already signed up.
Commander in Chief and Alias along with Lost and
Desperate Housewives will be available on the web in May and
June, starting the day after they are first broadcast.
Viewers will be able to pause and move between "chapters"
in an episode but will not be able to skip ads that are
technically embedded.
Disney is also launching a high-speed internet channel for
soap opera fans, called Soapnetic on April 17 for subscribers
to Verizon Communications Corp's Internet services.
Leading US media companies are experimenting with ways to
deliver programmes via new technologies and still maintain
revenue as viewership for their prime-time schedules slowly
erodes.
ABC sells digital downloads of its highest-rated TV shows
for the popular iPod music and video player, while other
networks have been testing online and video-on-demand formats
for airing shows soon after they first appear on broadcast TV.
"In the future, consumers will rely more and more on strong
brands to help them navigate the digital world, and we have
some of the strongest brands in entertainment," said Anne
Sweeney, president of the Disney-ABC television group. "Stay
tuned ... because this is just the beginning."
- Reuters
|
South Africa
