CBS joins Hulu live TV service

CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory

CBS in the US has committed to making its network and cable channels available on Hulu’s forthcoming live-streaming internet TV service.

The US SVoD firm is gearing up to launch a streaming TV service that lets subscribers watch broadcast and cable channels over the internet in 2017.

It has now added the highest-rating US network and its shows including Big Bang Theory to the service, which will cost less than US$40 per month, and has the option to add the network’s Smithsonian Channel and The CW Network in the future.

The deal, announced by Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins at an investor conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday, does not give Hulu on-demand access to CBS’s current series, which will remain exclusive to CBS All Access.

It follows Hulu striking similar deals with its parent firms The Walt Disney Company, 21st Century Fox and Time Warner, giving it access to networks such as ABC, Fox, ESPN, CNN, TNT and TBS.

The service will also include access to Hulu’s library of acquired and original content, while CBS’s premium cable channel Showtime will be available as an add-on.