• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, February 9, 2005

Eager for a bit of the heat that ABC's "Desperate Housewives" has generated, America Online will now deliver weekly online recaps of the hit series, ABC and AOL said yesterday. The agreement reflects a content-as-king approach, which major Web portals are embracing more and more.

"These are exclusive edited pieces of content intended to enhance users' water cooler experience," said Patricia Karpas, vice president and general manager of AOL Television. "We will continue to be very aggressive in terms of video content."

On Monday mornings, the day after each new episode airs, AOL Television will offer subscribers and non-subscribers three- to four-minute tastes of the previous night's show, as well as a preview of the upcoming week's show. Over the course of the season, diehards can also watch season highlights on "Best Of" videos, and customize their AOL Instant Messenger with Buddy Icons featuring images of each of the "Housewives."

Morning-after recaps, on offer through the show's season finale, will be archived for viewing through September 2005.