Broadcast networks try Web lures

TV networks are fighting tech with tech, as they look to lure viewers for the new fall season. CBS, for instance, announced a deal to air an episode of the new sitcom "The Class" on TiVo, before the show premieres on television.

Also, the CW, a new network formed by the merger of UPN and the WB, will take over the front page of MySpace to promote its September 20 launch. And NBC has been offering the pilot of its new show "Heroes" as a free download on iTunes since the beginning of the month.

Viewers have been defecting to the Web for some time now. Will the new tech tricks be enough to bring them back?

Blog community response:

"There's no question that the broadcast networks are the champs at experimenting with new forms of content distribution, including Internet-delivered video and mobile viewing. They're also pushing the envelope in leveraging new media for promotional gambits."
--IP & democracy

"The deal is clearly a blunt departure for TiVo from its earlier practices as it will provide its stron 4.4 million customers the samples of 'The Class, Jericho, Shark and Smith.' The agreement clearly speaks out that TiVo a leader in digital video recorder technology, is in pressing need to shred its advertisement unfriendly image."
--ADpunch

"The television industry, assuming they're as smart as I give them credit for, will still be around when I'm old. But advertising will be a different game, and so will the television watching experience."
-Circle Six Design