It seems the latest Death-of-TV trend is to premiere programming online before TV:

Time Warner Inc.’s AOL on Monday plans to announce that it will offer two new NBC programs on its Web site a week before their broadcast TVpremiere.

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AOL’s move follows on the heels of other experiments by U.S. television networks and show producers to promote new shows and lure new categories of viewers who may shun traditional TV viewing.

Earlier in September, CBS Corp. teamed up with digital video recorder pioneer TiVo Inc. in a similar experiment. TiVo subscribers will be able to watch the pilot episode of CBS’s “The Class” a week before the TV broadcast.

Interestingly the article makes no mention of network affiliates crying foul. They certainly can’t think web-first programming is a positive trend for their revenues. On the other hand, we have never heard of these “new catergories of viewers who shun traditional TV viewing.” That sounds like marketroid speak to soften the blow for the aforementioned network affiliates.

“We’re not cannibalizing our TV audience, we’re just luring internet-only TV viewers!”

Who’s gonna buy that claim?