According to the New York Times, Honda paid an "estimated six-figures" to be the sole sponsor of the network, with a (relatively) short 8-second commercial for the company and its "Fit" model appearing before each episode. The shows will remain on MySpace alone until the end of August, but then will be promoted to other sites as well. Sony hopes to eventually make the shows available on cell phones as well.

“As the Net becomes its own media channel, we continue to look for the right opportunities to access consumers and the right media formats,” [Tom Peyton, senior manager for advertising at Honda] said.

Shortening TV series to lengths more appropriate for watching on a PC “is a very innovative use of existing content,” he added, “and it’s another way to leverage MySpace.”

The Wall Street Journal says Sony is also planning next month to relaunch its video-sharing site Grouper, in order to try and get a piece of the online video pie that YouTube has grabbed the lion's share of. Grouper will get a yet-to-be-decided new name.

"There are tons of people moving into the online video space, and if anything, Sony needs to move a little faster if it wants to be a leader," says Tracey Scheppach, senior vice president and video innovations director for Publicis Groupe's Starcom USA, a media-buying agency.