Looks like Google Video has come up with an ad model that allows users to view “premium” content for free. I watched a few clips of Ask the Builder for free in which there’s an ad banner above the content and a video ad at the end. Here’s a screen shot of the Charlie Rose show to show what the banner ad looks like.

This comes as the broadcast “upfront” (where the networks sell the majority of their advertising inventory) closes down for the second year in a row.

More good news for the web, more bad news for “old media.”