The sensational TV show ‘24′ May be having a hard time in the ratings war on traditional TV. But it’s having a great time on Hulu.

The latest Nielsen ratings for Fox’s hit show are down over 20% when compared to it’s run in 2007, however online viewing on the Hulu website is looking good.

Hulu, the Fox/NBC joint tv website has not disclosed exact stats for 24’s episodes shown from season seven on Sunday night. But the episodes made up four out of Hulu’s top 15 popular videos.

The big question is will the online catch up tv episodes affect the advertising revenues for Fox, and why are viewers watching online?

Well, part of the reason may be the reduction in advertising. When watching 24 via traditional TV you have to sit through 20 minutes of TV ads. On the Hulu website viewers can just watch a trailer for 20th Century Fox’s action thriller Taken and watch 24 with no advertising at all.If you dont want to watch the trailer then you need to endure five 30 second adverts during the 24 episode.

The viewing figures for the two night premiere of 24 was down over 20% when compared to season six’s premiere. Ratings for the back to back episodes three and four were down from last year by an even bigger 22%.

Although Hulu is gaining massively at the expense of the TV version, the loss in advertising will need to be recouped somehow. So dont get too used to the ad free internet tv version. It may not last too long.

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