Disney to widen online TV shows

Lost follows plane crash survivors who are stranded on a desert island

Walt Disney has said it has sold more than 1.5 million episodes of shows such as Lost and Desperate Housewives via online music and video store iTunes.

The company has now said it will look to offer its TV content to more online stores and be "platform agnostic".

The programmes are currently available to US households only and cost $1.99 (£1.13) per episode.

The major TV networks in the US have all recently started to offer programmes via digital distribution.

'Important catalyst'

"Other companies with on-demand products will feature some of our content in the near future," said Disney chief financial officer Tom Staggs.

He said that while online sales were not yet a factor driving profits they remained "an important catalyst for where the business is going".

In recent weeks US network CBS announced it was making shows like CSI and Star Trek available to buy online via Google.

In the UK the BBC is currently trialling a service to offer TV programmes online for up to seven days after they have broadcast.

ITV has also announced it is looking at delivering content online.