Walt Disney Co. will offer some of its most popular television shows, including "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives," free on the Internet, the company announced Monday.

The shows which are broadcast on ABC in the United States and CTV in Canada can be seen on ABC.com the morning after they first air during a two-month trial run, beginning in May. 

Viewers will be able to pause and move between "chapters" in an episode, but won't be able to fast-forward commercials that are technically embedded.

The move will keep advertisers happy, including Ford Motor Co., Procter and Gamble Inc., AT&T, and Universal Pictures, who have signed on.

New technology has allowed viewers at home to record shows with digital video recorders and skip commercials, which has hurt TV advertising revenues.

In addition, TV viewership for prime-time shows in the U.S. has been slowly declining, according to figures.

Disney is also launching an Internet channel for soap opera fans, called Soapnetic, next week for subscribers to Verizon Communication Corp.'s Internet services.

Disney already has a deal to sell downloads of ABC shows through Apple Computer's ITunes Music Store.

"In the future, consumers will rely more and more on strong brands to help them navigate the digital world, and we have some of the strongest brands in entertainment," said Anne Sweeney, president of the Disney-ABC television group. "Stay tuned … because this is just the beginning."

CTV's Business Editor Linda Sims said when last month's NCAA college basketball tournament -- commonly knows as "March Madness" -- was broadcast free on the Internet, it was a big hit.

"The viewership was enormous, so the ad revenues would have been pretty good," she said.

Sims wondered how Disney's initiative will shape the future of technology.

"If this really catches on, then what is the next entertainment center going to look like, because you've bought your flat-screen TV, your surround sound system. Are you really going to want to watch TV then on your little computer, off in your office?" she said.

"So that's going to be interesting to see what happens to the hardware."

Shares of Walt Disney Co. rose 12 cents to $27.65 in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange.