A very interesting development is starting to happen all over the world, and now here in Canada. Television has become a primary means of marketing the Internet.

Just about every television program on the air in North America has a companion website these days. While many broadcasters see these websites as places to advertise and further promote the TV show, stats are proving that more people are travelling the opposite direction. That is, they see something on TV and hop online to check out the website. You've heard everyone from Ted Koppel to Peter Mansbridge say, "for more on this, log onto our website...." Eventually, could TV become just a giant promo tool for the Net? It might be smart in terms of planning for the future. Recent polls show that TV viewing peaked in 1988, and has been on a downward spiral ever since.

But will this mean an era of diminishing returns for Canadian viewers? While 100,000 people watching a TV show is considered a poor rating for most mainstream network shows, the folks at U8TV think they've got a hit on their hands with that many people clicking onto the companion, 24-hour website.

U8TV airs once a night on the Life Channel (weeknights at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT), and for 30 minutes covers the dramatic highlights of eight young lofters living under 24-hour surveillance. But the cameras are always running on the website. And after just one week, Alliance Atlantis program has probably had more people watch online than on TV. (The press release doesn't mention anything about TV ratings, but they're generally under six figures for specialty channels like Life.)

"We have been involved in the launch of many entertainment sites over the past few years, but none have experienced the instant success U8TV.com has," said Chris Larsen, Vice-President Media Sales & Services for Engage Canada, U8TV.com's advertising network. "U8TV is a winner."

So this looks like one of the more successful Canadian web programs in the short history of the Internet. But does it count as culture? Friday's posted highlight was: "Tre gets smashed, sings along with Sarah McLachlan, vomits on Arisa's bed and moons Shower Hour." The site is heavy with timely polls (Britney Spears), gossip (Backstreet Boys) and content related to the Superbowl, and plumped up with perma-features like an astrology section and a personals connections. Aimed at a young audience, it is ripe with promotional and cross-promotional opportunities.

Is this the future of the Net, or is there more out there for our souls? Recently I've been despairing of how quickly and insidiously the way old economy advertising and programming has eroded the web. Remember the days when you didn't have banners popping up on your screen like triffids? Instead of a voyage into a future, a trip on the web is beginning to feel like travelling American highways in the 1950s. Billboards covering the greenery. Garbage blowing across the tarmac. I imagine things are only going to get worse until someone cleans things up. What do you think? Is the net living up to its promise, or is it becoming just another vehicle for transmitting the same mundane information on merely a different platform?