Cable TV shows coming to the Internet

Time Warner Inc. and Comcast Corp. yesterday said they will bring cable television shows to the Internet -- but only for paying cable subscribers.

In a nod that migration of content viewing is rapidly moving online and to the mobile phone, Time Warner, one of the world's largest entertainment companies, and Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator, said they'll start online video trials nationally in July.

"It's clearly something demanded by consumers," Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes said at a news conference in New York.

The test will involve 5,000 Comcast customers who will get access to Turner Broadcasting System Inc.'s TNT and TBS cable networks. Turner is a unit of Time Warner

Some of the test customers could be in the Richmond area, said Jennifer Khoury, vice president of corporate communications for Comcast.

In July, Comcast will send e-mails to a random sampling of customers nationally asking if they want to take part in the trial. The trial customers will then be selected.

"We don't know specifically which areas they will be in at this point," Khoury said.

During testing Comcast may opt to increase the number of trial customers or extend how long the test continues.

"This is the first time anyone has done this, so it will evolve over time," Khoury said.

TNT and TBS make such shows as "The Closer" and "Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns." Viewers can access the shows initially at Comcast.net and Fancast.com. Eventually, they will be available on TNT.tv and TBS.com. There is no additional fee. Bewkes said the best and most popular shows will be the first ones to go online.

Eventually, "we want to be able to have all our shows on demand and on the Internet," Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said at the news conference. "This marks the very logical next evolution of where cable television has come from."

Comcast will test a technology that can authenticate the viewer as a subscriber -- an effort to keep cable content secure online. Users will have to log in with a user name and password, and the system will be able to tell whether you're a subscriber and figure out what channels you've paid for.

Comcast said it expects other networks to participate in the trial later on. Time Warner said it will engage in similar trials with other pay-TV operators. Bewkes said the phone companies, satellite TV providers and several cable TV operators are interested.

The test will involve viewing of shows over a fast-speed Internet connection. But it's less clear how the two companies will enable mobile video viewing, since cell-phone companies could resist carrying such a load.

Staff writer Emily C. Dooley and The Associated Press contributed to this report.