• by Larry Dobrow , Featured Columnist, August 23, 2006

When the folks at ABC put episodes of "Lost" up on the Web for streaming earlier this year, they practically shredded their rotator cuffs patting themselves on the back. You'll forgive guys in the oh-so-coveted 18-to-34 age range, however, if they weren't bowled over.

They've been too busy checking out original shorts, such as the VH1 parody "I Love the 30s," on Comedy Central's MotherLoad. They've been watching live sports on ESPN360, which served more than three million streams of game simulcasts during the summer's World Cup. They've been viewing "The Amazing Screw-on Head" pilot on Sci Fi Pulse, after which they were asked for feedback on whether the show should be spun into a series.

What they haven't been doing is worrying about which platform is delivering them which piece of content. "Maybe some other people are worrying about whether online-exclusive video will cannibalize the mother ship, but we're not. Constant innovation delights this audience," says John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN New Media.

As a result, the three entities mentioned above seem to be lapping the network and cable pack in serving young men the online funnies and thrills they crave. As of late July, MotherLoad had served up more than six million streams since its Nov. 1 debut.

The Web might even serve as content incubator for this demographic. "Sometimes it doesn't make sense to do a $400,000 pilot," explains Craig Engler, senior vice president of SciFi.com and Sci Fi magazine. "Maybe you do five two-minute episodes of something and run them online, and see the response."

Most networks make TV clips available, but Sci Fi Pulse is going further. In August, it started airing Web-only "Battlestar Galactica" episodes, designed to tide fans over until the program returns in October.

"To keep the buzz going, this is a no-brainer for us and our viewers," Engler says. "It's 'Battlestar Galactica' wrapped in bacon  everything's better wrapped in bacon, right?"

As for advertiser interest, execs say that the major categories (auto, entertainment, electronics) are borderline rabid to align their products and services with online video offerings. Kosner notes that ESPN's video "sells at CPMS higher than you see on typical TV networks," while Wallach gushes about interest "from any advertiser with a sense of humor."

As a result, look for the online arms to get increasingly creative about ways of integrating marketing content  without, of course, alienating their ever-impatient targets. Expect continued use of the 15-second pre-roll, followed by a static companion ad reminding the viewer who is sponsoring the content.

"Nobody's sure what's a mistake or not yet," Engler says with a shrug.