Yesterday the Walt Disney Co., owners of ABC Television announced that it will begin offering, for free, some of its most popular television programs, including their two highest ratings getters “LOST” and “Desperate Housewives.”

The catch? While they may be free to download, they will not be commercial free. Currently ten advertisers ranging from AT&T Inc., Proctor and Gamble Co., and the Ford Motor Co. have signed on to have spots downloaded with the programs.

Other ABC shows such as “Commander In Chief” and “Alias” are also on the docket for the free download service.

ABC is developing its own downloading broadband platform from which viewers will be able to pause and move between “chapters” in an episode, but not skip ads that are technically embedded. There is no official word yet from Disney if they will still offer their programming commerical free through their current deal with iTunes. The usual cost of ad-free programs like “LOST” from iTunes is around $1.99 per download.