Internet television (or Internet TV) is television distributed via the Internet. Internet television allows viewers to choose the show they want to watch from a library of shows. The primary models for Internet television are streaming Internet TV or selectable video on an Internet location, typically a website. It differs from IPTV in that IPTV offerings are typically offered on discrete service provider networks.

Internet TV is a quick-to-market and relatively low investment service. Internet TV rides on existing infrastructure including broadband, ADSL, Wi-Fi, cable and satellite which makes it a valuable tool for a wide variety of service providers and content owners looking for new revenue streams.

Implementation
Many programmers are streaming their content live on the internet today to increase viewership (which in turn increases ad revenue) and protect market share. This model is efficient due to the relatively inexpensive multicasting protocol. Viewers may simply request access to the live feed and join into the live stream. This free model has been used in over-the-air broadcasting for years and still works because of the low cost of reaching viewers via multicast. Any viewer with a broadband connection and the correct free media player can watch live television from around the world.

Many internet television "portals" are available which include links to live feeds as well as built-in viewers. Although the live television streams are free, most portals are supported by advertising revenue as well.

Those that create valued and interesting video products now have the opportunity to distribute them directly to a large audience - something impossible with the previous television distributing models (closed software, closed hardware, closed network). The free model has been used around the globe by local and independent television channels aiming for niche target audiences, or to build a collaborative environment for media production, a platform for citizens' media. It isn't strictly a citizen's format either as the broadcast model used in television for decades will begin to find competition in Internet television supported by advertising.

ABC Broadcasting free Internet TV for prime time television shows
According to the Washington Post, in a June 2006 article by Frank Ahrens talks about the two month experiment ABC did with streaming prime time shows on the internet. 'Over 11 million viewers watched free ABC TV shows via the internet when they tested this in may 2006 with the TV hit show LOST.' Ahrens says ABC results found 'viewers are willing to watch advertisements for free TV'. Obviously certain limitations applied to advertisers during this experiment, but "ABC put online numbers in prospective of the hit series show LOST that on average 15 million viewers tuned in via internet each week to watch the season" This is only one example of broadcasting prime time television, NBC, CBS and other cable networks are partaking in the trend as well.