• The Hollywood Reporter, Tuesday, October 31, 2006 11:45 AM

ABC News is the only news network that airs a free, live 15-minute Webcast, available at ABCNews.com daily at 3 p.m. and later, for download on Apple's iTunes. In September, the "World News Webcast" featuring Charles Gibson had 5.2 million downloads, according to the Hollywood Reporter. This month, it's doing just as well.

It's a smart move from ABC, because in all likelihood, the news network knows the Webcast reaches an audience that doesn't watch the evening news at 6:30 p.m.

"What it has become is much more of a broadcast aimed at people who use the Web and who are much more Web-savvy than people who watch the broadcast," says Jon Banner, the executive producer of both broadcasts.

The success of the Webcast lends credence to the idea that people are watching more television content than ever. Between digital video recorders, Web TV, Apple's iPod and TV on cell phones, the TV biz isn't dying, even if ratings and ad revenue are declining. It's diversifying, which is exactly what the next generation of ad-supported content is all about.

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