So, according the the Wall Street Journal,

“On April 30, ABC will unveil a revamped Web site that will include a “theater” where people with broadband connections can watch free episodes of “Desperate Housewives,” “Lost” and other hit shows on their computers. Episodes will be available the morning after they air and will be archived so people can eventually view a whole season. A Disney Channel version with five shows will start in June, and an ABC Family version is also planned. Disney’s Soapnet cable channel will start offering programs free on its Web site, Soapnetic, on April 17.

Episodes of the ABC shows — which can be paused, rewound and fast-forwarded — will contain commercial breaks that viewers can’t skip, making Disney hopeful it has figured out a way to turn the delivery of programs over the Web into a profit-generating business. Ten advertisers, including Ford Motor Co., Procter & Gamble, Universal Pictures and Unilever, already have signed up.”

Exciting news for anyone interested in the future of the web, and everyone with broadband access. Pundits are already sounding the death knell for cable tv in the States. It will be very interesting to see how this will play out in the Irish / UK markets, where US shows like Lost and Desperate Housewives generally air a couple of months after first viewing in the US.

Perhaps it will stimulate the production of some quality home grown shows!
[Note: Read A VC and BuzzMachine for more.]