A NYT
article describes how YouTube created new demand for a sitcom that was turned down by several networks. In this business independent creators develop programs that they sell to networks (ABC, NBC, WB). Executives within these networks pick new programs based on some pilot testing or on a hunch. This article shows a new method by which such pilots could be run on properties like YouTube or MySpace and then selected by the network. A byproduct of this method could be a loyal viewer base that could form the core of the fanbase on the Internet.