Having been pleasantly surprised that audiences were willing to shell out $1.99 on iTunes for the same shows they could watch on TV for free, ABC continued its Experimental Journey to the Future with a trial service that allowed internet users to save the two bucks in exchange for sitting through some online ads:

Prime-time ABC television shows were viewed more than 11 million times on the Web in the first month of a test by the Walt Disney Co of whether consumers will watch ads online if the shows are free.

An online exit survey posted the first week of the two-month trial showed that 87 percent of respondents could recall the advertisers that sponsored the episodes they watched. [...]

The ABC.com pilot program in one month outperformed the results Disney has seen in its nine-month partnership with Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes...

Elated ABC executives have even discussed the possibility of expanding this cutting-edge concept to their more traditional platforms. A future in which we can can sit down on our couches and view an episode of Lost interrupted intermittently by advertiser-supported "mini shows" could be here sooner than we might have ever dreamed possible.

• Disney says ABC free web TV a hit [Reuters]

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