CBS Puts Primetime Online

Zap2It.com | August 15, 2006

Skeet Ulrich on 'Jericho'

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'CSI' shows, 'Jericho' will stream on broadband channel

CBS will give viewers yet another way to see several of its shows this fall, streaming episodes on the network's broadband channel.

Episodes of seven of the network's series -- all three "CSIs," "Survivor," "NCIS," "Numb3rs" and the new drama "Jericho" -- will be available on the network's broadband channel, called innertube, the day after they air on television. The episodes will be free to view and supported by ads, though probably not as many as air during a typical hour of TV.

"Making our new and returning prime-time series available to our viewers is the next step in innertube's programming evolution," says Larry Kramer, president of CBS Digital Media. "It further helps us extend the reach of the CBS brand and provides a new avenue for advertisers to engage with our programming, which in turn creates a new source of revenue for our company."

CBS is the second broadcast network to make a major foray into streaming its shows online. ABC did a two-month experiment with several of its series in May and June and, liking what it saw, plans to do more this season.

Episodes of "Jericho" and "Survivor" will remain on innertube for the entire season. The other shows will be available for four weeks after their initial broadcast.

Launched in May, innertube features a mix of short original programming, content related to the network's shows and full episodes of the reality show "Big Brother: All-Stars."