Marking one of the first times different media empires have collaborated to put TV shows on the web, CBS has announced that it will stream free full rerun episodes of Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men and 20th Century Fox Television’s How I Met Your Mother on Yahoo! TV this week.
The network and two studios are seeking to expose the shows to younger viewers and those who may have gotten new computers over the holidays; the commercial-free “Comedy Bowl” will run from Dec. 27-Jan. 2.
Two episodes of each series will appear on Yahoo!, which marks the first time it has steamed an episode of a CBS TV series in its entirety. Until now, CBS has primarily left streaming to its CBS.com (with the exception of the Google pact for UPN's Everybody Hates Chris) and stuck primarily with in-house produced programs.
“We're always looking for ways to provide current and potential new viewers every possible opportunity to sample our series," said Nancy Tellem, president, CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group. "We want to be where the viewers are, and this exclusive partnership with Yahoo gives us the chance to target an expanded online audience … at a time of the year when many potential viewers are home on vacation and surfing the Internet."
