What a great idea:

[Executive producer Lorne] Michaels mentioned that Jimmy Fallon will air his show online for “five or six months” before it airs in Conan O’Brien’s old timeslot, in order to give it a headstart in finding its creative legs. “We learned with Conan how brutal it was to find a show when it was on the air,” he said.

A fantastic use of web video. In retail, you call it a “soft opening” when you open your store or restaurant with no fanfare but then schedule a big grand opening event later, once the kinks have been worked out.