In another manifestation of the trend of major media outlets using the internet to promote their programs, CBS has authorized yahoo.com to show the entire premiere episode of the new TV series Jericho, on demand on the web, commercial-free, for several days before it appears on broadcast television.

The program premieres on Wednesday, September 20, and until then you can see it on the Web here. The page also includes clips and promotions for other CBS shows premiering this fall.

The network’s decision to show an important program on the Web before its broadcast debut appears to me a rather significant event in the development of the internet as a broad-based medium.

And in entertainment and aesthetic terms, the premierie episode of Jericho is well worth watching.