"Gossip Girl" Streaming Episode Outrage Ensues

Earlier this week I shared my thoughts on the CW’s decision to pull down all streaming episodes of Gossip Girl, in hopes of boosting ratings and (purchased) iTunes downloads. As word spread about the experiment, fans were outraged.

A recent Wiredblog post calls the decision by Dawn Ostroff, President of Entertainment for the CW, one of the worst of her career. “Those hundreds of thousands of viewers who were watching directly on the CW's site will either have to tune in or turn to P2P networks to download the show illegally. And knowing how savvy kids are, that very well may be what happens. Doesn't Ostroff know you can't tell a teen what to do?” writes Wired’s Sonia Zjawinski.

The CW Gossip Girl Lounge Community agrees. A message board posting titled “cwtv.com to Pull Streaming of New Gossip Girl Episodes” has been buzzing with angry fans.

“I guess I'll have to look for illegal online postings of the show, which won't benefit the CW in any way. I think the network would be better off finding a way to monetize online airings than to cast away their loyal online viewers. This tactic will not drive me to watch the show on TV” says one poster.

Another shared “The CW likes to pretend it's hip by having a show about blogging and teen sex, but this shows that the people at CW are just as old and out of touch as anyone else. CW, you are a bunch of HYPOCRITES!”

Following the series’ returning episode on April 21^st, the CW announced that the 18 to 49 demographic was up 7 to 8 percent from its pre-strike average. But the episode’s viewers only increased 1 percent from the last episode prior to the writer’s strike. It’s also important to consider that the return of the series was highly publicized with a controversial ad campaign, emblazoned with the tagline “OMFG.” As of Friday, the episode is rated as the #1 top TV episode on iTunes.

Next week, Michelle Trachtenberg joins the cast as Serena’s former partner in crime, Georgina Sparks. The episode will be filled with some exciting and unexpected plot twists but only some of many loyal fans can enjoy them when they’re still not streaming, for free, online.