CBS All Access VSOD Debuts

CBS is launching an online subscription video service that will feature both current and classic programming as well as a live stream of its broadcast network, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The platform, called CBS All Access, is making its debut Thursday (at noon EST) at a price of $5.99 a month.

Les Moonves

Unlike many other online offerings from broadcast and cable networks, an existing subscription to a pay-TV distributor isn’t required to view content on CBS All Access.

“CBS All Access is another key step in the company’s long-standing strategy of monetizing our local and national content in the ways that viewers want it,” said Leslie Moonves, president and chief executive of CBS Corp.

Separately, CBS is also putting the finishing touches on its plans to introduce a stand-alone digital news service later this month. The tentative debut date is Oct. 28, people familiar with the plans said.

The new offerings are further evidence of how program suppliers are increasingly willing to distribute their content outside the traditional ecosystem of cable and satellite TV especially as consumers get frustrated with rising monthly TV bills. On Wednesday, Time Warner Inc. said it would start offering its service via broadband to U.S. consumers who don’t have a pay-TV subscription.

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