Did You Watch the Leaked 'Lost' Footage?

The Internet was abuzz over the weekend as nearly four minutes of footage from tonight's 'Lost' premiere landed online, followed closely by a grainy video of the entire pilot.

The leaks split fans into those who just had to watch the footage and those who refused to be spoiled, sparking up new debate over the proper role of the Web in today's multimedia world. But was the footage actually leaked? Or was ABC simply trying to beat the Internet at its own game?The Internet was abuzz over the weekend as nearly four minutes of footage from tonight's 'Lost' premiere landed online, followed closely by a grainy video of the entire pilot.

The leaks split fans into those who just had to watch the footage and those who refused to be spoiled, sparking up new debate over the proper role of the Web in today's multimedia world. But was the footage actually leaked? Or was ABC simply trying to beat the Internet at its own game?

Ever since the advent of the Internet, of course, spoilers have been hitting the Web in a number of forms, from cell-phone snapshots to leaked scripts to pirated footage. But while some of these leaks have been legitimate breeches in studio security that have threatened the end product -- the entire rough cut of 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' landed online last year prior to its theatrical release, for instance -- more and more, creative marketing campaigns are being developed around releasing and controlling these "spoilers" in order to build buzz. In other words, if you can't beat 'em, make 'em do your work for you instead.

That idea, though, requires people to actually watch the leaked footage. Or does it? One of the most interesting aspects of this latest episode is the fact that many 'Lost' fans, after years of waiting to see how the series will end, have refused to watch the leaked footage in order to keep from being spoiled. "We never had a show like 'Lost' before that had these kind of fans that love it so much that they don't want to know what happens before the premiere," ABC exec Michael Benson told The Hollywood Reporter. "Fans feel like they own this thing, just like we do."

Because of this loyalty, ABC may be in a unique position where leaking footage could actually help build hype for the upcoming season without negatively affecting ratings; former fans who tuned out during past seasons may return after seeing the new clips, while those leaks simply reinforce for diehard Losties their desire to watch the premiere.

In fact, it's such a perfect storm for ABC that you might be forgiven for thinking it must have been planned this way. But not so, according to the L. A. Times. While the four-minute teaser was distributed by the network, it was originally intended only to be seen by a handful of contest winners, who were given an online code to download the footage in advance of the premiere. Some of those fans, in turn, decided to share their bounty with the wider world, a result that ABC may not have sanctioned but which they must have fully expected (consider the fact that they officially released the same footage on their Web site a day later).

Regardless of which side of the debate you fall on, then, ABC's handling of 'Lost' and the fan reaction to it may point the way towards a future where studios integrate the release of spoilers, either intentional or unintentional, into their marketing strategies much in the same way some movie trailers are designed not to tease with mystery but to reassure audiences with familiarity.

Cracking the secrets of internet hype? Now that's a question that even the most hardcore 'Lost' fans never expected to answer.

If you really want to see the footage, check it out here:

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Lost, Lost premiere, lost season six, LostPremiere, LostSeasonSix, spoilers