Video on demand and IPTV are often talked about in the context of accessing television shows that have already aired on TV. Kind of like a super DVR whereby the viewer never had to record the show in the first place. VOD, however, does not really have that constraint. Witness the news out of iN Demand Networks today.

howard stern will have his own dedicated VOD channel. So, for those of you who are conditioned to think that only an existing network with many different shows can have a VOD channel, think again.

The deal between Howard Stern and iN Demand includes exclusive TV rights to The Howard Stern Show which means the VOD offering is the only place viewers can find the new TV broadcasts. iN Demand has distribution agreements with Time Warner, Comcast and Cox.

AdAge reports that "there are no planned advertising opportunities within Mr. Sterns VOD show, but Time Warner, Comcast and Cox subscribers will be able to access the content for a monthly fee." I feel confident that if IPTV were a viable delivery mechanism today, SBC and Verizon might be on that list too.

(note to self: look for the day that iN Demand signs those two providers.)

Is this the future model of television? I'd like to get your feedback.

Viewers will be able to access the most recent show 24 to 36 hours after its broadcast on the radio -- it will be on VOD the evening of the next day -- as well as archives of previous shows.

Another television habit that VOD does not have to adhere to is structured lengths for shows. Episode lengths for Mr. Stern's VOD programs will range from 60 minutes to 90 minutes, depending on how much of his four-hour show iN Demand decides to edit on any given day. "The show could be 46 minutes or it could be 58 minutes," said Eric Duncan, a spokesman for iN Demand.

Making the show available as a subscription-based VOD program will reduce the need to censor Mr. Stern's content. Only Howard knows if the show will become even raunchier as he ends his contract with Viacom's Infinity Broadcasting in January and heads to Sirius Satellite Radio -- a move the VOD programming will document.