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SCOTT JAGOW: They were cautious at first, but this year, the TV networks plunged into the online world. ABC’s so happy about offering shows for free, it’s gonna do something else. Lisa Napoli reports.

LISA NAPOLI: Forget the digital recorder, or gasp, that dusty old VCR.

Over the past few months, fans of Desperate Housewives and Lost flocked to the Web to catch those shows when they missed them on the tube.

That’s enough to convince ABC to expand online offerings in the fall, although they’re keeping mum about exact plans.

Mike Shields covers interactive media for Media Week.

MIKE SHIELDS: “The fact that they’re doing it again, they’re going to try to improve the experience, you know that kind of indicates something’s going right here. Yeah, it definitely shows the changing face of network television.”

And the free ad-supported Web experiment found young people are the ones clamoring to watch online.

ABC says the average age of the online viewer was 29, compared to the median age of the TV viewer, 46.

In Los Angeles, I’m Lisa Napoli for Marketplace.