CBS to Make Streaming Clips Available on iPad

Network encoding websites to be mobile-compatible browser

By Marisa Guthrie -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/2/2010 2:18:22 PM

CBS will offer streaming video clips from CBS programs on the iPad but not entire episodes, the network announced April 2.

Clips of CBS shows including CSI, The Good Wife, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, Undercover Boss, The Late Show with David Letterman and The Young and the Restless will be available via CBS' iPad app. Survivor will be the only entertainment program that will have full episodes on the iPad.

"It was important for us to have content available for the iPad at launch, and it will be important to continue to develop new content as the device goes mainstream," Neil Ashe, president, CBS Interactive, said in a statement. "Doing so is consistent with CBS's larger strategy to put our content on the best available screen, with the best available business model.  We look forward to improving and expanding our offerings for the iPad in the months to come."

A variety of CNET video will be available including news and technology reviews and how-to's such as Loaded, The Buzz Report, Apple Byte and CNET Conversations. CBS will also make available a custom Radio.com App that allows users to access programming from CBS Radio and streaming partners including Yahoo! Music. More than 7,000 eBook titles from Simon & Schuster which will be sold via the iBooks store. CBS News apps that are currently available on mobile/smart phones also will be available on the iPad.

The network will not have a dedicated iPad app, but rather is encoding its websites in HTML5 to make them compatible with the Apple device's mobile browser.