CBS working on original TV for Netflix, Amazon or Hulu

CBS is working on an “original program” for a major streaming service, with Netflix, Amazon or Hulu the most likely destinations for the new TV series. President Les Moonves said that his company would “be producing more and more shows for more and more outlets” as it moves away from a reliance traditional broadcast TV.

Moonves, whose TV network is the most-watched in the US, said that viewing figures from video on demand were increasingly important, with “moderate hits” on TV becoming big financial successes once they reached services such as Netflix. For decades major TV networks have had a stranglehold on the creation of new shows, but Moonves says that era is coming to an end.

“We now have VOD, SVOD, AVOD, it’s a lot of letters, but it adds up to bigger numbers and viewers and revenue. New technologies are supporting our programs, and the winners are the content creators,” he said.

Netflix has seen major commercial success from original shows such as House of Cards, Orange Is the New Black and the reboot of Arrested Development. The demand for original content not available on traditional broadcast TV is a big opportunity for production companies, Moonves claimed.

“Going forward, we will be producing more and more shows for more and more outlets, including major streaming companies and other emerging distributors,” he said.

CBS, which reported revenues of $3.2bn in the last financial quarter, already has deals with Netflix, Hulu and Amazon to license its content. However such deals are for shows already broadcast on TV. In the past CBS has hinted that it may launch its own streaming service, but at present the company seems keen to do big-money deals with existing providers.