Remember when the CW stopped streaming Gossip Girl episodes on their Website, with the hopes that it would force more people to tune in during the live broadcast? They wanted to boost their ratings and make traditional commercial-break advertisers happy. Yeah, well, that totally didn't work. So now the network has returned to its youthful online viewers and is begging forgiveness. "Ultimately, we've decided to begin streaming episodes of the show again on Cwtv.com because we want the CW to be the primary destination for all things Gossip Girl, from on air to online," CW spokesman Paul McGuire explained (what up, Paul?! He totally sent us a poster once). "When the CW experimented with not streaming Gossip Girl at the end of last season, the passionate fans found other digital outlets and Websites to watch." As it turned out, illegal access to GG episodes increased by 45 percent when the CW stopped streaming it.

This is great news for online fans — though Daily Intel editors Chris and Jessica will still be watching it during its original broadcast. See, on September 1, after the premiere episode at 8 p.m., we'll resume our exhaustive reality recaps. That's right, we lingered on here for an entire year, not getting promoted on purpose, because we know they're the only reason you keep coming back. Aren't we generous? You know you love us.

CW Puts ‘Gossip Girl’ Episodes Back on Its Website [TVWeek]
Earlier: 'Gossip Girl': It's Baaaaaack
Related: The Genius of 'Gossip Girl' [NYM]