ABC is embarking on a new venture that will let fans download their favorite episodes of the network’s hit TV shows for free backed by ad-supported content.
The network will test the program for eight weeks this spring on ABC.com under the heading My ABC. There, viewers can download episodes of Lost, Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy for free.
ABC will support the content streaming one ad per show, said Mike Shaw, president of sales and marketing, ABC Television Network, last week at The 2006 Advertising & Media Conference in Orlando, FL. “We hope to learn a lot and test together how this works,” he said.
The initiative comes as ABC’s latest attempt to increase its advertising and content offering online.
Currently, consumers can download episodes of Lost and Desperate Housewives from Apple Computer’s iTunes store for $1.99 each. No ads appear on iTunes’ downloadable episodes, which became available last October.
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