By Lehar Maan
REUTERS - If you can't fight 'em, join 'em.CBS Corp launched digital video-on-demand and live-streaming services on Thursday, aiming to win back viewers who are increasingly turning to the Internet for entertainment.
The launch follows an announcement from Time Warner Inc a day earlier that HBO will be available as a standalone, online streaming service next year.
The moves by CBS and HBO put more pressure on online video pioneer Netflix Inc, which said on Wednesday it had signed up fewer video-streaming subscribers than forecast in the third quarter.
"It's an interesting way to tap into some data that probably sits there being unused, not generating any revenues," Benchmark Co LLC analyst Edward Atorino said of CBS's plans.
"It's no cost, they got the stuff there, they send it down the line. If somebody tunes in, great. If not, the costs are minimal," Atorino said, adding that CBS has "a little more credibility" than Netflix when it comes to content.
"Netflix has either got to buy it or try to produce it. CBS has got a library sitting there 24 hours a day," he said.
CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves said the new service is aimed at "superfans," who want to watch entire series as well as people who prefer watching video on mobile devices.
"You go to a college campus, there are no TVs," Moonves said in an interview. "This gives them an opportunity to get access to a lot of our programming in addition to a live linear stream."
The moves by HBO and CBS to go "over-the-top" - media jargon meaning people can watch programs with only a broadband connection - could spur more consumers to dump cable television subscriptions.
CBS All Access is available for $5.99 per month and can be downloaded on iOS and Android devices.
Apart from episodes of 15 primetime shows a day after they air on TV, CBS All Access will offer past seasons of eight current series, including "The Good Wife," "Blue Blood," and "Survivor," as well as such classics as "Star Trek," and "CSI: Miami."
Live streaming will be available in 14 markets, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Consumers may also be able to get CBS All Access through cable or satellite providers. Moonves said CBS is offering pay TV operators the chance to add the service to the packages they sell to customers.
Time Warner and CBS signaled last month that they were open to making HBO and Showtime available directly to consumers over the Internet without a cable subscription.
Showtime and HBO both currently offer programs online, but customers have to subscribe to a cable package and pay extra fees for the premium channels.
CBS shares rose 0.85 percent to close at $51.18 on the New York Stock Exchange.
(Reporting by Lehar Maan and Abhirup Roy in Bangalore and Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; editing by Maju Samuel and G Crosse)
