TV on the web is boon to viewers and networks

ABC The new study focuses on the TV show ‘Lost’, and how it’s ratings are effected by online content.

For some time, there has been discussion of how web-content will effect the veiwership of content from the major Television networks.

The answer: it helps. A new study shows that while making Television content available on the web through the network’s official website does not effect broadcast or cable television viewership, it does cut down on the number of viewers who download and view the network’s content through unofficial channels, allowing the Television network greater control of their own content, even when the viewers turn to the internet instead of tuning in with their remote control.

This study, if correlated by further evidence, could be good news for folks who would rather get their episodic screen-play content from the internet (and who would like to do it through official channels) as it might lead networks to start making more and more of their shows available on the web.