CBS is the latest broadcaster to come on board Hulu’s upcoming live-streaming TV service, Hulu said Wednesday, with CBS, CBS Sports Network and POP all being added. Those networks will be live streamed; additionally, their programs will be available on demand via Hulu.
CBS, which typically has not been a joiner of aggregated streaming offerings, joins 21st Century Fox, The Walk Disney Company and Turner Networks on the new service.
CBS offers some of primetime’s most-viewed programs, including The Big Bang Theory, NCIS, Big Brother, Blue Bloods and 60 Minutes. Like Turner, CBS airs some of the country’s most popular sports programming, including the NFL and NCAA Division ! Men’s basketball. The new deal also extends Showtime’s existing deal with Hulu, in which Showtime is offered as a premium add-on to Hulu subscribers.
“To build a successful live TV service, you have to have viewers’ favorite sports and shows—and CBS’ programming is absolutely vital to that mix,” said Mike Hopkins, CEO of Hulu, in a statement. “With 21st Century Fox, Disney, Turner and now CBS on board, our new live service will offer one of the most valuable sports, news and entertainment lineups anywhere – from ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS Sports and TNT to ABC, CBS, FOX and The Disney Channel.”
“We are very pleased to make CBS available on Hulu’s new live TV service,” said Ray Hopkins, president, Television Networks Distribution, CBS Corporation. “Hulu has made it clear that it understands the value that the CBS Television Network, along with Showtime and our basic cable network portfolio, will bring to this new offering. In addition, today’s announcement represents another significant step in our strategy to deliver CBS’s industry leading content to viewers whenever and where ever they want to watch it, at terms that are consistent with the Company’s goals.”
Terms of the deal, including how much Hulu is paying CBS for the right to livestream its networks, were not disclosed.
With the addition of CBS, Hulu now has live-streaming agreements with more than 35 top networks. Besides CBS and its sister networks, Hulu also will live stream Fox and ABC, as well as ESPN and its subsidiary nets and Fox Sports 1 and 2, BTN and the Fox regional sports networks. The service also will offer Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior and Freeform; Fox News and Fox Business; FX, FXX and FXM; National Geographic and Nat Geo Wild; and Turner nets TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, truTV, Boomerang and Turner Classic Movies.
READ MORE: The Los Angeles Times
[Image of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory’ courtesy of the Los Angeles Times]
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