4um: A Comprehensive PBS Documentary on the Iraq War Becomes a Big Hit Online

return encodeURIComponent('60;Bush57;s War,61; a 60;Frontline61; documentary produced for the fifth anniversary of the United States57; invasion of Iraq, has been viewed online by a record number of viewers.'); } function getShareKeywords() { return encodeURIComponent('Computers and the Internet,Documentary Films and Programs,Frontline Limited,Public Broadcasting Service'); } function getShareSection() { return encodeURIComponent('business'); } function getShareSectionDisplay() {

return encodeURIComponent('Business / Media & Advertising'); } function getShareSubSection() { return encodeURIComponent('media'); } function getShareByline() { return encodeURIComponent('By ELIZABETH JENSEN'); } function getSharePubdate() { return encodeURIComponent('April 7, 2008'); }

Executives at 60;Frontline61; do not yet know how many people watched their recent four-and-a-half hour documentary, 60;Bush57;s War,61; because of PBS57;s complicated Nielsen ratings.

Online, however, 60;Bush57;s War,61; which was produced for the fifth anniversary of the United States57; invasion of Iraq, has set a record, with more than 1.5 million views of all or part of the program, which was streamed in 26 segments.

60;Frontline61; has streamed most of its documentaries free since 2002 (www.pbs.org/frontline), part of an effort to reach younger audiences than typically tune in to PBS. The online viewing to date of 60;Bush57;s War,61; which was broadcast in two parts on March 24 and 25, is an estimated 60;10 times the traffic of a normal show for us,61; said Sam Bailey, the program57;s director of new media and technology. Viewers are also sticking around much longer than they usually do on the site, typically for 7 to 10 minutes.

David Fanning, the executive producer of 60;Frontline,61; which has been on the air for 25 years, attributed the Web interest in this particular show to 60;timing, no question,61; noting that PBS had been the only network taking such a comprehensive look back at the Iraq war around the time of the anniversary.

But 60;Frontline,61; which is produced by WGBH in Boston, has also worked to improve the online video experience. With the help of a $5 million MacArthur Foundation grant last year, a new full-screen video player was introduced on the 60;Frontline61; site in time for 60;Bush57;s War.61;

Viewers watching the documentary, which drew material from more than 40 past 60;Frontline61; programs, also found an interactive, annotated timeline on terrorism over roughly three decades, including 175 embedded video clips and links to full transcripts of more than 400 60;Frontline61; interviews. The material remains archived on the site, along with many 60;Frontline61; films.

The program is developing an affiliate video player that will allow 60;Frontline61; video to be used on other media organizations57; Web sites, but still be served by the PBS server, so 60;our nonprofit, noncommercial-generated content can be out there in the marketplace,61; Mr. Fanning said. 60;That57;s the real dream.61;