REPORT: FINAL NETWORK HOLDOUT CBS TO JOIN HULU

CBS, which is the only major broadcast network that does not provide programs on Hulu.com, may begin doing so at the beginning of the fall season, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people with direct knowledge of the discussions between the network and the video website. According to the news service, the deal would be on a non-exclusive basis, meaning presumably that CBS would continue to make its programs available on its own website, CBS.com. Currently, the service is provided free, with advertising revenue divided between Hulu’s owners, News Corp (Fox), NBC Universal, (NBC) and The Walt Disney Co. (ABC). But revenue, split three ways, has been so small that the company has recently sent up a trial balloon to determine whether the public might be willing to pay to see some of the programming it streams. It was not clear whether CBS would also become a co-owner.