TBS will stream full episodes of "Family Guy" online, the network said today.
Turner's comedy-focused cable network has run the show on TV but will now stream episodes online in a virtual "living room" designed to look like the cartoon's set.
The site will offer social-networking capabilities so consumers can connect over episodes they watch. TBS will also stream full episodes and extras from its new originals, several of which were announced Tuesday.
The announcement was made Tuesday by Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks, at an upfront summit Tuesday designed to show advertisers new opportunities for promoting their content.
For TV, TBS has started selling advertisers "bitcoms," clips of stand-up comedians riffing on products, which will directly precede ads for the products.
The network has already started stamping ads it deems comical with a "very funny" logo, to draw attention to them. It also programs TV specials of funny commercials.
One more option is "program placement." As described by Betsy Thomas, executive prducer of the channel's sophomore original, "My Boys ads could integrate clips or mentions of TBS programming." The Pillsbury Doughboy, for example, could be watching My Boys as he waits for his bread to rise.
