• The New York Times, Friday, August 17, 2007 11 AM

The difference between watching a commercial on a Web site and in your living room is that online, viewers are choosing to be there. Unlike commercials that run during TV programming, there's an actual market for the opt-in watching.

For example, veryfunnyads.com, a broadband Web site operated by the TBS cable network, has delivered more than 63 million video clip views since its introduction last August.

One reason for the increase in popularity for sites like these is the proliferation of broadband Internet connections, which make it easier for computer users to watch or download video clips. That is enabling media companies, agencies and advertisers to create Web sites devoted to commercials and other forms of advertising for amusement, rather than hard-core huckstering.

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