Disney TV shows go free online

[Tags: web design, new media]. "Disney is to make hit shows such as Lost and Desperate Housewives available for free on the internet as part of an advertiser-funded trial," reports the Guardian. "In another move to expand its appeal on the web, Disney is also launching an online soap channel, Soapnetic, for Verizon internet subscribers"

Meanwhile, the Online Publishers Association newsletter reports:

"Online video explosion takes on TV upfronts

"Watching video online used to be an oddity, with flickering postage-sized images that gurgled and froze. Fast-forward to 2006 with the online video revolution in full swing, and Netizens are making it a regular part of their online life (see research item below). With the growth in viewership has also come a booming demand for ad
inventory on online videos. AdAge has run multiple stories on the push for a
"digital upfront" this spring, as well as a change in mindset by advertisers and
agencies who consider the television just one of many venues for video ads.
American Express calls the category "rolling video stock" while MediaVest
reorganized its buyers as "video investment and activation units," AdAge
reported. "Broadcast is not dying; broadcast still works," MediaVest's Donna
Speciale said. "But we have to follow the consumer to where he or she is getting
content and that means being video-neutral."

One video site Heavy.com is going to approach advertisers for special digital upfront deals for its slate of new online "shows." AdAge notes that the digital upfront idea isn't new, and that AOL, Yahoo, MSN and other video-rich sites have sold out inventory in advance for certain categories. The demand for online video ad inventory has also led to a new in-stream ad network from Advertising.com, which will supply 61 million ad impressions per month. Advertising.com has signed up 30 publishers, compared to rival Instream's 50 publishers, ClickZ reports. Plus, NYTimes.com said it would add more original video to its home page and section front pages in order to satisfy the massive demand for video inventory. "Pre-roll inventory is very, very, very much in demand," AccuSteam iMedia Research's Paul Palumbo said.
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Marketers, Media Buyers Reorganize for New Video Age (AdAge)
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Web Sellers Build Own 'Upfronts' (AdAge)
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Advertising.com Launches Pre-Roll Video Network (ClickZ)
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NYTimes.com Builds Original Video Inventory to Satisfy Advertiser Demand (ClickZ)
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Cable networks tout new media for content and advertising (Broadcast & Cable)
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YouTube's 'Bowiechick' and the spiders from marketing (News.com)"