Now here’s some online streaming news I can get excited over: ABC, WBTV in sync on streaming

“This speaks to the larger digital strategy we launched two years ago with the iTunes store, and a full year ago with the ABC.com player,” said Disney Media Networks co-chair Anne Sweeney. “What we’ve seen over the past full year of usage, viewers are coming to the player to catch up on episodes they have missed.”
…
Under the unprecedented two-year deal, ABC has the right to stream all four of its Warner Bros. TV offerings — which also include returnees “Men in Trees” and “Notes From the Underbelly” and newcomer “Big Shots” — on its ABC.com broadband player for up to four weeks after each episode’s initial broadcast.
…
But over the past year, entertainment congloms have turned more of their attention toward online streaming (and away from the download marketplace), as it became apparent that users were more willing to sit through commercials in order to watch shows online for free.

I love it. I was just telling someone yesterday, maybe Greg, that networks would be better off to offer shows for $1 with some kind of limited advertising included instead of trying to sell them at higher prices. But, they’re right, I always check to see if an episode is available for free before I look into buying a download of it and I love the networks that actually have their shows available. I could care less about the commercials I have to sit through as long as I have a way to catch up on what I missed.

Plus, this article actually sheds a little light as to why not all shows are available for free online or to purchase as a download. This probably makes me a geek and reveals the ways in which my job has changed me (I work at a research institute) but it’s nice to get references to the research that went into a decision. Helps me understand it so much more than, say, the NBC stuff that’s gone down this week.