CW shortens the delay for Web release of shows

Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES

After studying the viewing behavior of its young audience, the CW television network has switched strategies and is no longer delaying the online release of such popular shows as “Gossip Girl” and “The Vampire Diaries.”

CW — a joint venture of CBS Corp. and Warner Bros. — will begin making episodes of its prime-time series available several hours after their initial television broadcast. The move is significant because it illustrates how television companies are moving quickly to adapt to rapid changes in technology in an effort to protect important revenue streams.

The CW had been delaying the online release of its episodes until three days after airing. But research discovered that nearly a third of online viewers of CW’s most popular shows were watching the shows on a pirate website immeditately after the shows aired.