Did 'Gossip Girl' gain sans streaming?
By Andrew Wallenstein
No doubt you'll see some question the conventional wisdom that streaming episodes of TV series online helps maximize exposure for a show once ratings for last night's edition of CW's "Gossip Girl" get out there. The episode experienced a small rebound in the 18-34 demographic, registering its best numbers since November. Someone out there is bound to credit the uptick to CW's decision to cease putting "Gossip" episodes online so as not to cannibalize the original broadcast.
Not so fast though. Truth be told, increasing a few tenths of a rating point is hardly worthy of champagne popping. Plus the increase is just as attributable to the fact that this was the first episode of "Gossip" to hit the airwaves in three months, and came on the heels of a buzzed-about marketing campaign. It's also worth considering that as much waves as CW's decision made in the media industry, it's not like the average 18-year-old will catch on for another week or so. If "Gossip's" numbers stay up for several weeks, then it might be a different story.
