CBS inks online content distribution deals

CSI, Survivor, Late Night With David Letterman, news, sports shows, and more will all be offered online.

CBS today agreed to deals with Joost, Microsoft, ComCast, and Time Warner to begin allowing them to provide CBS content online in exchange for a share of all advertising revenue generated.

Some of the other companies involved in the online distribution deal include Brightcove, Veoh, Sling Media, AOL, Netvibes and CNET Networks.

CBS already distributes many of its shows online through Yahoo!, iTunes, and its own Web site.

Viewers will be able to watch shows like crime drama CSI, Survivor, Late Night With David Letterman, news, sports shows, and more with free content supported by advertising revenues which will be split between CBS and its partners.

According to an earlier report in the Wall Street Journal, the broadcaster had wanted to keep 90% of the ad revenues generated by its shows but, details of the exact division are not yet known.

This is big news for CBS as it allows it to further expand the reach of its content, add an additional source of revenue, and also perhaps even cut down on the number of people who grab CBS shows from P2P and file-sharing networks.

It’s also big news for Joost, the still fledgling on-demand online content distribution service from the guys behind KaZaA and Skype. It already worked out a deal with Viacom a few months back to offer content from MTV, Comedy Central, BET, and Paramount Pictures.

Jared Moya
I've been interested in P2P since the early, high-flying days of Napster and KaZaA. I believe that analog copyright laws are ill-suited to the digital age, and that art and culture shouldn't be subject to the whims of international entertainment industry conglomerates. Twitter | Google Plus

CBS inks online content distribution deals

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