Channel Five Streams Showing on CBS Website TV.com
In a further blow to the Hulu UK launch, television network, Channel Five has agreed in a deal with CBS to allow its streaming program content to be shown on the US network’s tv-on-demand website TV.com.
It is another hitch for CBS rivals – ABC, Fox and NBC who own online tv giant Hulu, whose video-on-demand website still has not appeared on UK pc screens, despite ongoing discussions with the main networks.
The agreement puts TV.com into the mega competative UK market for catch-up-on-demand internet tv, and cementing itself as a rival to BBC iPlayer and newly launched SeeSaw which launched just last week.
Channel Five already have a good relationship with CBS who supply Five’s biggest hit, the CSI franchise. This and other hit shows Neighbours, Home and Away, and The Gadget Show will be available online. The streams will be available to view shortly after broadcast along with Five’s archived content (around 250 hours). Streams are free to watch for UK only viewers and will be ad supported.
Jonathan Lewis of Five commented:- “Our partnership with TV.com is a further example of Five’s strategy to expand and grow the reach of its content beyond the small screen to premium secure digital platforms.”
Channel Five along with Channel Four already has an agreement with Youtube and SeeSaw to show their catch up tv streams. The websites in turn take a cut of the advertising revenue.
That just leaves ITV the last of the big networks to strike a deal. The tv network have put all talks on hold for a ten week period whilst restructuring. That makes it a possibility that Hulu will strike an exclusive content deal with ITV and still become the dominant internet tv supplier in the UK, but its looking less and less likely now.
The deal means that Channel five content is now available on YouTube, SeeSaw, BT Vision and of course Demand Five which is Fives own catch up tv site.
Interesting times for UK internet tv viewers, in what is turning out to be the battleground for the worldwide market.
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- SeeSaw Catch Up TV Website Set For Launch Tomorrow
- Youtube to screen ITV and Channel 4 streams?
- Hulu Showing ABC News Streams Online
