Hulu Reaches Licensing Pact for CBS Library Content

First time CBS content will be available on the streaming service domestically

By Tim Baysinger -- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/5/2012 12:17:34 PM

Hulu and CBS Corp. have agreed to a non-exclusive, multiyear licensing agreement for CBS' television library, which will be available on Hulu's subscription-based service, Hulu Plus, beginning in January.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. This marks the first time that CBS content will be available on the streaming service in the U.S.

Hulu Plus subscribers will gain access to more than 2,600 episodes of old CBS shows such as Num3ers, Medium and CSI: Miami, as well as classics Star Trek, I Love Lucy and The Twilight Zone. Clips from syndie newsmag Entertainment Tonight will also be available the day of broadcast on both Hulu Plus and the free Hulu. Certain shows will be made available on Hulu on a rotating basis.

"We're excited to deliver CBS library programming to Hulu Plus subscribers," said Scott Koondel, senior VP of corporate licensing, CBS Corp. "This marks another agreement that meets the growing demand for our content on new platforms while establishing other incremental ways to get paid for our library."

"CBS has a long history of producing truly great TV. Hulu Plus subscribers are entertainment lovers who spend their time watching shows they love, versus shows they might only just like. Those two facts make for a fantastic combination, because this collection of CBS titles are shows that people revere and that really matter to fans of great TV like our subscribers," added Andy Forssell, senior VP of content for Hulu.

CBS and Hulu had previously announced licensing agreements that made CBS-produced programming airing on The CW and CBS available on Hulu's subscription service in Japan.

Of the four major English-language broadcast networks, CBS is the only one that does not have an equity stake in Hulu. While the deal is notable because it marks the first CBS has made content available on Hulu's domestic service, it does not mark a significant shift in CBS's digital distribution strategy.

CBS has long argued that it could best monetize its newer network fare on its own CBS.com site and digital properties. The new deal with Hulu continues that approach by making only its library product of older shows available on Hulu.