Those of you who pay a lick of attention to my monthly ramblings on this page will have by now determined my affinity for two things: The New York Times and Lost. So in April, when the front page of the business section sported an article titled, "Soon, Catch 'Lost' Online, A Day Later", the rest of the paper fell by the wayside. A potent cocktail of business travel, deadline procrastination and a semblance of a social life means that I'm always behind on my favorite shows. I had to know how I could catch up on missed episodes, even when I forgot to set the VCR (I know, how 20th century!)

As the Times reports, it seems distracted TV viewers like me may have a second chance at staying pop culturally au courant. Starting in May, the Walt Disney Company is beginning a two-month trial period that will make Lost, Desperate Housewives, Commander in Chief and Alias available for free online viewing the day after they broadcast.

Disney's certainly not first to bring its top TV shows to the online viewing party. ABC first made a splash last October when it announced some of its shows would be available for download on iTunes - for a meager price, of course. The difference here is that advertisers will have another kick at the viewership can, as a second set of commercials will be sold for the online version of the programs, which will be offered as free, streaming (aka unskippable) video.

A development like this is good news for both ailing broadcasters and advertisers. Not only do broadcasters eke out another revenue stream, but advertisers get what they covet - a quantifiable, engaged audience that seeks out specific content; and one that can't TiVo their commercials if they tried.

While this is just an experiment, it has the potential to be a clever little stroke of ingenuity in a world where everyone's purse is being squeezed at every turn. As we've seen time and again since the rise of the Internet, netizens are reluctant to shell over shekels for stuff they perceive should be free. It'll be interesting to see how dedicated audiences choose between being charged to download a pristine version of a program and tolerating a few sufferable commercials to get free content. I know what I'd do.

Thus far, Unilever is the first on board to test the waters, but reports indicate that Cingular, Ford, Toyota, Procter & Gamble and Universal Pictures are also in line for the new offering.

If the experiment succeeds and broadcasters take to offering ad-loaded free content online, it could muffle banter about the death of the :30 commercial and signify the reinterpretation of it. But as with anything, success will depend on the quality of advertising placed on this new medium. Put too much dreck on there and even I'd be inclined to wait for the complete second season of Lost on DVD.

Cheers,
Rae Ann Fera
Editor