Yahoo Showing Free CBS Sitcoms

2 Shows' Reruns Stream This Week

CBS made two of its sitcoms available as free streaming downloads on a Yahoo Web site yesterday, marking the television network's entry into Web-based distribution under a model that differs from what its competitors are doing with their shows.

For this week only, the shows -- "Two and a Half Men" and "How I Met Your Mother" -- will each have two previously aired full-length episodes available on Yahoo Inc.'s television site ( http://tv.yahoo.com ) and its video search.

"This deal marks a continuation of our ongoing broadband initiatives at CBS, and we believe that working closely with Yahoo will generate significant awareness for these two comedy series," said Lawrence S. Kramer, president of CBS digital media.

NBC and ABC have launched distribution deals in recent months with Apple Computer Inc. for $1.99 downloads of hit television shows -- including "Desperate Housewives," "Lost" and "Law and Order" -- for playback on computers or video-enabled iPods.

Yahoo, which already draws heavy online traffic because of its free e-mail, content, shopping, maps and other services, is trying to expand its audience by attracting more viewers for video and entertainment services so it can sell more advertising. "We are always trying to offer exclusive content," Yahoo spokeswoman Lynne Hentemann said.

In recent months, changes in how video is distributed have accelerated. Aside from the CBS, ABC and NBC deals, others -- notably, cable networks such as ESPN and Comedy Central -- have made video clips available over high-speed Web connections on cell phones. And through its recent investment in America Online Inc., Google Inc. hopes to offer content from AOL's parent company, Time Warner Inc., on its Web site, Google has said.

Online viewership is also taking advantage of more on-demand television options. That technology was popularized by TiVo, a device that records programs to a hard drive and allows viewers to skip commercials during playback. Cable companies are now offering their own TiVo-like digital video recorders to give viewers more flexibility.

"All of these things are heading toward what I call Internet TV," said Phillip Swann, an Arlington consultant who operates the Web site TVPredictions.com.

For CBS, the Yahoo partnership is an experiment with lessons for the future, Swann said.

"I think CBS is seeing what sticks," evaluating how long people will sit and watch shows on their computers, he said. Over time, Yahoo and CBS may partner to create an online library of videos or the like, he said.