According to TV Guide, the CW has signed a five-year deal with Hulu to bring all its primetime TV shows to the streaming video website. The agreement only covers current season episodes, which will be available through the site premium service Hulu Plus.
The news comes not long after the four-year deal between the CW and Netflix, announced earlier this month, covering the streaming of all shows from the CW, but excluding current seasons that will only be available to Hulu users starting later this year with Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie, 90210, Ringer, America's Next Top Model, The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle, Nikita and Supernatural.
The offer on Hulu will include the five most recent episodes, each of which will be available to Hulu Plus subscribers the day after broadcast, and to the non-paying users eight days after airing.
About the deal, we should consider that the ratings of the CW shows are virtually unaffected by — and are even benefiting from — the ongoing World Series, a fact that outlines the network's demographic and justifies the move to a media that will allow a broader reach into that core audience.
The CW is a joint venture between CBS Corporation (CBS) and Time Warner (Warner Bros). As a side note, CBS is the only major broadcast network still shying away from Hulu.
Hulu is a joint venture between NBCUniversal (NBC), News Corporation (Fox), The Walt Disney Company (ABC), and Providence Equity Partners (No network, but apparently a fondness for investment in the media and entertainment business).
