By Brian Moylan, Hollywood.com Staff

Comedy star Louis CK has never been one to do things by the rules and now he's completely breaking the mold. News broke today that his comedy special Live at the Beacon Theater is going to air on FX, the same network that broadcasts his show Louie. What's surprising is that Mr. CK (if you're nasty) already made about $1 million selling the special online.

Louis started selling the special on his website last December and it clocked more than 220,000 downloads at $5 a pop, a bargain at any price. He made so much money that he gave the crew who filmed it a bonus and donated more than $200K to charity. Not only is he a pioneer, but also a class act. His move shows that people are willing to pay to see content online that they really want to see (not just steal it from one of the countless pirate websites). Now we'll see if people will still be interested now that the special has been sold to cable. If it's a ratings smash, look for every comedian from Dane Cook to Kathy Griffin to get into the download business.

Follow Brian Moylan on Twitter @BrianJMoylan

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[NYT]