The Lost TV Monster

ABC's Lost isn't merely a hit TV series. It's the engine driving a vast product and promotional enterprise that's a model for TV's future. Here are just some of the ways that the show is available in cyberspace and beyond.

Internet Sites An online phenomenon, the show has spawned more than a dozen fan blogs in which viewers trade clues, post theories and argue over plot points. ABC's site features podcasts, video clips and, of course, lots of Lost merchandise.

TiVo and DVR Obsessive fans use TiVo and other such devices to examine the show in slo-mo, frame by frame. Like conspiracy buffs poring over grassy-knoll photos, they have found figures lurking in mysterious smoke and elsewhere.

Cell Phones In addition to various recaps, news, clues and screensavers, 3G cell phones will deliver Lost Video Diaries, a selection of 22 two-minute original clips. A catch: not every mobile-phone service will carry them.

PlayStation Portable Actors Jorge Garcia and Dominic Monaghan are big PSP gamers, and they can watch the show's two-part pilot episode on Sony's handheld unit. A Universal Media Disc version was released at the same time as the DVDs, with all the same bonus features.

DVD Boxed Set The first season of Lost episodes sold more than a million units at a list price of $59.99, becoming the second biggest seller (after Chappelle's Show: Season 2 Uncensored) of 2005.

Games The Lost website now includes interactive games based on the show. It's only a matter of time (and negotiations) before a console version is hatched.

IPod Downloads Disney has sold 2 million shows and other content on Apple's iTunes store. Last month four Lost episodes were in the Top 10.