Helsinki - Disney announced on Monday that it will offer consumers in Finland the ability to pay to watch ABC TV shows online four days after they are initially broadcast in the U.S., Reuters reported.

The deal with Finnish broadcaster Nelonen, a part of SanomaWSOY, is Disney's first that offers its TV shows abroad so soon after their U.S. release; usually U.S. shows aren't available in Europe for at least three to six months.

Episodes of ABC series like "Ugly Betty," "Grey's Anatomy," "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" will be available for about $4.20 each, and will remain available for up to 10 viewings within 24 hours of purchase.

"We and Disney have a learning perspective here," Pirjo Airaksinen, head of Finnish Nelonen, told Reuters.

"Finnish people easily take up new technologies. As a relatively small, homogeneous market, Finland is a good test bed for consumer behavior."

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/2bkm7w (Reuters)

http://www.nelonen.fi/inenglish