• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, November 12, 2007

Warner Bros. and AOL plan to relaunch their In2TV co-venture sometime next year, as the broadband network with full episodes of old-time hits has failed to gain traction since debuting in early 2006.

When announced in late 2005, the service looked to be a groundbreaker by offering dozens of shows free and on-demand--albeit from yesteryear--such as "Welcome Back Kotter" and "Alice."

But then several months later, Disney made full episodes of current hits such as "Desperate Housewives" available on ABC.com, taking away much of In2TV's uniqueness.

On Friday, Warner Bros. Television Group head Bruce Rosenblum said it would be "reinvented" by the second quarter next year. A redesign and the addition of some sort of social networking capabilities are expected. The service's section, with memorable show theme songs, might also be an untapped resource. Rosenblum said the site's experience is "not immersive" enough.

The ad-supported service, which is housed on AOL's television section, offers a trove of shows that are part of the Warner Bros. library. There are multiple episodes from multiple seasons of each. On Friday, the unaired pilot of "Aquaman" was the most-watched show.

Besides the likes of "Chips" and "Growing Pains," there are more recent shows available, such as flops "Joey" and "The Real Gilligan's Island."

Episodes include pre-roll ads. Procter & Gamble is currently on board as an advertiser, and AOL is now selling the inventory. Warner Bros. and AOL are both divisions of Time Warner.

Rosenblum, who spoke at a New York television conference, used the coming relaunch as an example of the commitment of the studio--which produces a run of current prime-time hits--to exploiting its library via new distribution channels.

Also next spring, the company has said it will launch TWorks.com--a site focusing on animation with shows such as "Looney Tunes" and "Hanna-Barbera." The company said the venture, which will have original content produced by Warner Bros., will also include games and virtual worlds.

"Fans will be able to forge a deeper relationship with the characters than they have ever been able to in the past," the company said in September--perhaps offering some insight into plans for In2TV with its iconic characters drawn from "Lois & Clark" (starring Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain), "Wonder Woman" (Lynda Carter) and "Max Headroom."

T-Works sales will be handled by a digital media team under Warner Bros. syndication sales head Michael Teicher.

Also in online distribution, Warner Bros. has a programming deal with Joost.com.