Print this Article
RSSAssociated Press
By GARY GENTILE AP Business Writer
LOS ANGELES--NBC will begin streaming on the Internet episodes of several primetime shows a day after their network airing, joining CBS, ABC and Fox in offering free, advertising-supported shows online.
NBC will show episodes of all six of its new primetime series' on its video player, called NBC 24/7, beginning Oct. 1, the network said Wednesday. The episodes will be accompanied by blogs from the shows producers, writers or stars.
The network said it would air the first four episodes of its new comedies, "30 Rock," and "Twenty Good Years," and the first eight episodes of its new dramas, "Kidnapped," 'Friday Night Lights," "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," and "Heroes."
NBC will also allows fans to interact with the creators of all its shows on the night of their premiers, the company said.
The goal is to help promote the new shows and experiment with giving viewers multiple options to view them, the company said. NBC also sells episodes of some of its shows on Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes store for $1.99 each.
"When you launch a new season, it's important that you get the shows in front of as many eyeballs as possible," said Jeff Gaspin, president of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, in a statement.
NBC is a unit of NBC Universal, which is owned by General Electric Co.
ABC was the first network to sells its shows online and stream free, ad-supported episodes on the Web. That network said Wednesday it would resume the free streaming, adding several new shows, including "Six Degrees," "Ugly Betty," "The Knights of Prosperity" and "The Nine."
ABC also said Wednesday that it had reached a deal with its affiliated TV stations around the country that will allow each station to sell local ads on the shows that air on Internet players located on their local Web sites.
CBS also said Wednesday it will stream episodes of several new shows for free on Google video.
CBS has its own online service called "innertube," which streams ad-supported episodes the day after they are broadcast.
The network, which sells episodes on Google's video store, said it will also stream the premier episodes of three of its shows, "Smith," "The Class" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine," on Google starting immediately.
___
On the Net:
