Free Disney TV shows

Disney today said its TV group is planning to offer four ABC prime-time shows for free online starting in May. Episodes of "Commander in Chief," "Desperate Housewives," "Lost," and the entire season of "Alias" will be available through June, according to the Associated Press. Advertisers have already come forward to support the initiative, which currently include Unilever PLC, Procter & Gamble, AT&T, Toyota, and Ford. The TV group also said it is planning to launch a broadband channel for soap operas on April 17th called "Soapnetic," which will be available to Verizon consumer broadband customers, according to the report. Another report from the Wall Street Journal suggests that the move won't pose much of a threat to Apple, largely because the content can't be transferred onto portable devices such as its popular iPod digital media player.

by MacNN Staff