Disney to make TV shows available free on Web

NEW YORK - Walt Disney Co. plans to make TV shows such as "Desperate Houswives" and "Lost" available for free over the Internet in an attempt to bring in new advertising revenues, the Wall Street Journal said on Monday.

The plan is expected to be announced later on Monday by Anne Sweeney, president of the Disney-ABC Television Group, the newspaper reported.

Episodes of the ABC shows will contain commercial breaks that viewers will not be able to skip, which Disney hopes will turn the delivery of programs over the Web into a profit-generating business, the Journal said.

The Journal reported that 10 advertisers have already signed up for the initiative, including Ford Motor Co., Procter & Gamble and Unilever.

Episodes of the shows being offered will become available the morning after they air on TV, the Journal reported.

TV broadcasters are looking for new business models to counter the threat posed by digital video recorders like TiVo, which allow consumers to fast-forward through ads. Disney already has a deal to sell downloads of ABC shows through Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store.

Disney was not immediately available for comment.