Web impacts TV

It was during the time when ABC was broadcasting the show "Lost" that I saw how the Internet was generating interest in a very different type of television series. There was a lot of Internet chatter about Lost on the websites I visited, such as, the Survivor Sucks message board and Wikipedia. I read that ABC was thinking of dropping "Lost" but they kept it going because the ABC executives were surprised by how many times the show was viewed on the ABC website. Unlike Nielson ratings which only selected households participate in, shows watched on the networks websites are more accurately measured. They know how many times a show is viewed, which translates into accurate advertising ratings on the episode viewer. Six years ago I truly doubt that shows with complicated and intricate plots and characters , such as, "Ringer" and"Revenge" would have been developed. The success of "Lost" proved that people who watch prime time television are not stupid and have the ability to process and be entertained by multi-layered plots. Television has become more complicated with the diverse programming allowed by the expanded cable stations, such as, the CW and ABC Family. No longer are TV viewers constrained to four major network channels, ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox. People watch TV on multiple stations and networks, which, supply programming supporting a special interest. Thanks to the Internet, chatter and viewer interaction makes shows popular not by clever advertising and network promotion, but my word of mouth, or more accurately typed words on message boards, blogs, Facebook and Twitter. There is silliness and nonsense on the Internet; there is also relevant conversation which if nothing else raises the quality of the television shows which are produced and broadcast.