MTV2 to Debut Show on iTunes Before TV

If a TV show appears online before it's broadcast, is it still technically a TV show? I mean, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the folks who hand out the Oscars) disqualify movies that have aired on TV prior to their theatrical release, which I guess means they aren't really movies. So what to make of Viacom's new move, in which they'll be releasing the entire third season of The Andy Milonakis Show on iTunes this week -- a full month before the first episode airs on MTV2? (The episodes will also available via Amazon Unbox, AOL Video, Wal-Mart Video Downloads and Xbox Live Marketplace as of next week.)

It does seem kind of savvy, in some ways. Milonakis got a TV show due to his popularity online a few years ago, so in a sense it's a nod to his original fan base. And in a move that seems designed to assuage advertiser fears, episodes will also include URLs that direct people to show footage that's exclusively available online -- but this only applies to the broadcast episodes. The same die-hards who buy the show early will likely watch the episodes again to get the extras, or so the logic appears to be. In any case, it'll be interesting to see if this catches on.