TV Hot Spot: News

ABC, NBC Gift-Wrap Video Streams

Post by: Sal

It's the holiday season, which means tree-trimming, gift exchanges, family reunions and the like. And, if ABC and NBC have anything to say about it, catching up on several TV shows via streaming video.

Both networks are making episodes of several of their shows available online during the next few weeks, when college students will be home from school and a lot of grown-ups will have time off work. The available shows include a mix of buzzworthy hits ("Grey's Anatomy," "Ugly Betty") and lower-rated critical darlings ("Friday Night Lights").

ABC will make five shows available on its web site starting on Christmas Day. In addition to "Grey's" and "Ugly Betty," viewers will be able to watch all of this season's episodes of "Desperate Housewives," "Brothers & Sisters" and "What About Brian." The latter two will be making their online-streaming debuts.

At NBC, viewers can see every episode of its freshman hit "Heroes" along with the full seasons of two shows, "Friday Night Lights" and "30 Rock," which have earned lots of critical loves but not breakout ratings.

In every case, the shows are owned by a corporate sibling of the network that airs them: Touchstone TV for ABC and NBC Universal Television Studio for NBC. The full-season archives will be in place at both networks until each show's first new episode after the calendar turns.