Ianiello didn't say that anything like this is in the works but still, it's a big deal. Networks like Showtime are cable's bulwark against cord cutters abandoning the service in droves. The cable companies are quickly making it easier than ever to watch content online through apps like HBO Go, FXNow and WatchESPN but there's a catch. In order to use them you have to authenticate that you have a cable or satellite subscription.
Showtime, home to popular shows like Homeland, Masters of Sex and Ray Donovan, could potentially change that model. If CBS does offer the network as an online subscription, it will be the first shot fired at the hegemony of cable. If other networks started to follow suit, we could be moving into an a la carte world where you only pay for the networks you want to watch.
Showtime isn't the only player discussing an online-only option. Dish Network recently signed a long term agreement with Disney that allows Dish to offer Disney channels, like ABC, Disney Channel and ESPN, as a standalone package to people who don't subscribe to Dish. Dish CEO Charlie Ergin hasn't been shy about his ambition to offer what's known as over the top services.
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Don't expect big changes any time soon. Companies like CBS and Time Warner don't want to anger the cable overlords just yet. As we've seen many times, these disputes can easily lead to blackouts and CBS doesn't suddenly want viewers sut out of The Big Bang Theory.
But as more and more viewers move to watching the majority of shows online, offering those shows directly might become too good of an opportunity to ignore.