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i’m a fan of the tv show lost. i was stoked to hear that abc is testing free online distribution of the tv show lost as well as other abc shows such as commander in chief, desperate housewives, and alias. the shows will be streamed on abc.com the day after they’re shown on tv. previously, abc had been selling episodes of lost and desperate housewives on itunes for $1.99.
this move lets abc begin to earn online ad dollars with its shows and allow abc to test the effectiveness of this alternative distribution. if successful, online free distribution could lessen the dominance of cable and satellite companies. at&t, cingular, ford, procter & gamble, toyota, unilever’s suave, universal pictures, and walt disney pictures are among the advertisers taking part in this experiment by offering interactive advertisements.
consumers will have to watch those ads — nope, you can’t forward or tivo past them. you’ll be able to pause, rewind, and forward, but not through the commercials. this will be interesting. i’m curious to see how successful this form of distribution wiill be and if more advertisers will buy into this.
from a philosophical point of view, the content is really quasi-free: the cost is that we have to watch the commercials. still, from the consumer’s viewpoint, this is still pretty cool and it threatens the dominance of the satellite and cable companies. this is defiitely disruptive. nice.
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