• by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, June 20, 2006

With ABC's two-month experiment in offering streaming TV shows for free nearing an end, company executives are deeming the effort a success. In fact, Disney Media Network Co-Chair Anne Sweeney told Reuters that ABC.com intends to launch a revamped version of the site in a few months.

The four primetime shows now offered as ad-supported streams--"Lost," "Desperate Housewives," "Alias," and "Commander in Chief"--were seen more than 11 million times in the first month they were available, the company said. Additionally, ABC reported that an online exit survey conducted during the first week of the pilot program revealed that 87 percent of respondents recalled shows' sponsors, according to the Reuters account.

Meanwhile, sales of ad-free versions of the shows on iTunes at $1.99 each have continued at the same pace as before May--when the network began offering free streams--Albert Cheng, executive vice president of digital media for Disney-ABC Television Group, told Reuters.

These results shouldn't be surprising, as ad-free and ad-supported versions of the same product have coexisted in other contexts. Salon, for instance, has for years offered a premium version of its online magazine to visitors who pay a subscription fee and a free version to those who first click on an ad. And ad-free TV shows have been for sale--for a long time before iTunes--on DVDs.