“LOST” FINALE TO BE FOUND IN 59 COUNTRIES

In an apparent attempt to circumvent online piracy abroad, ABC is planning to make Sunday night’s 2 1/2-hour series finale of Lost available in 59 countries — without the program’s usual overseas subtitles — either on the same day or within 48 hours of the U.S. telecast. In a statement, the Disney-owned network (Disney’s ABC Studios also produces the series) said it was doing so because fans had asked it to. In a news release, the company put it in industry jargon this way: “Lost’s intrinsic global appeal and enthusiastic international following have driven a demand to create innovative windowing opportunities to air the programing on earlier and more convenient platforms.” Also on Thursday, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences said that it would relax its rules so that the Lost finale would become eligible for an Emmy award. Previously, rules limited entries to two hours.