In the world of broadcasting, PBS shuns commercials. On the Internet, things are different.
The publicly supported, not-for-profit television network just announced a deal for several programs to be streamed on the Hulu Web site. These include “Nova,” “Wired Science,” “Carrier” and “Scientific American Frontiers.”
Hulu will place a 30-second advertisement before each program, splitting the revenue with PBS. Andrew Russell, the senior vice president who runs PBS Ventures, the network’s money-making arm, said the company was trying to balance its need for revenue with its noncommercial heritage.
“It is very important to carry the principles of public television into these environments,” he said. Most significantly, he said the network will allow commercials only at the beginning of its shows.
“We do not allow interruption of our programs,” he said. Also, it won’t allow the companies to sell commercials on its programs to certain types of advertisers, such as tobacco companies or politicians.
Mr. Russell said PBS was looking for any complaints from viewers. It hasn’t heard any, but the program is new.
This isn’t the first ad deal that PBS has struck, although it is the first that will get widespread distribution. The network distributes some programs on Joost, which carry advertising that is superimposed over the programming, and on a few other smaller sites. PBS has created shorter clips of its programs for YouTube. These don’t carry ads yet, but they likely will in the future, Mr. Russell said.
It also has some programs available to watch on its Web site, PBS.org, without commercials. In addition, PBS does a brisk business selling programs over iTunes.
PBS has moved online slowly, and right now it makes only a small fraction of its content available over the Internet. One reason is the complexity of the rights to its programs. “Nova,” for example, is produced by WGBH in Boston, which acquires individual episodes from various production companies. Only in some cases does PBS actually have the rights to distribute shows online.
Mr. Russell said that by exploring digital distribution with the programs that the network does have rights to, it hoped to build the case to show that producers should let it distribute their shows online. This means offering them a good share of the advertising revenue or download fees. The online deals also show corporate and foundation sponsors that the programs are reaching a wider audience.
The network is even building its own ad sales staff to so it can sell the commercials on its Internet video itself, perhaps to the same companies that pay to sponsor the shows on the air.
“We have sponsors who would like to see their sponsorship carry over to these partnerships,” Mr. Russell said.
Another constraint is that local PBS stations are afraid that if too many people watch shows online, the stations will lose relationships with viewers who respond to their regular pledge drives.
The network is trying to help the local affiliates by linking to them from its site. It also puts the more recent programs on PBS.org and for sale on iTunes. Hulu and other sites that are less connected to local stations are only given access to most programs weeks or months after they are first aired.
By the fall, however, PBS expects to redesign PBS.org and present a much greater percentage of the network’s programs there.
By the way, here are two other tidbits from the online video world.
Viacom’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” is now also available on Hulu, with ads sold by Hulu. This has gotten a fair bit of notice online. But it’s not really a surprise. Once Viacom decided to start syndicating its programs on other sites, despite resistance from cable companies, it was a short step to put the shows on other sites willing to offer reasonable terms.
And Disney is testing streaming some of its most popular movies online with advertising. In keeping with Disney’s longstanding approach to managing scarcity, each film will only be available for one week, coinciding with its broadcast on ABC. The first film, which is available now, is “Finding Nemo.” Disney still insists that people come to its own sites to watch its programs online, but it is at least trying to figure out the value of making some of its crown jewels available free.
Comments are no longer being accepted.