Defunct WB Network To Get Resurrection On The Web

Just last week, Disney/ABC announced that they would be opening their vault of classic television shows to be streamed on the web. And now, classics of a different sort — young adult hits from the now-defunct WB Network — will be taking the same course.

From MediaWeek's John Consoli:

Warner Bros. Television Group plans to resurrect The WB television network in the form of a new Web site. On the site, whose working title is wb.com, users will be able to catch free streaming episodes of all WB-produced series airing on the net during its 1995-2006 run, including Gilmore Girls, Everwood and What I Like About You.

It was not immediately known whether WB shows produced by outside studios--among them, Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Felicity and Dawson's Creek--would be featured, or whether current Warner Bros. series airing on WB's successor The CW, such as Gossip Girl, would appear on the site. Sources told Mediaweek that wb.com will be ad-supported and that, in addition to offering past WB series, the site will feature new, short series and vignettes targeting the old WB audience, primarily women 12-34.

Each episode will reportedly run 5 minutes, with 10 installments slated. Sources said wb.com will have a beta launch next month, with a major rollout planned for this fall. One source called wb.com Warner Bros.' version of Hulu, the joint NBC Universal/News Corp. Web venture offering premium video content from both companies and others.