CBS Considering Launching 'ET' 24-Hour Streaming News Channel

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CBS is considering launching a 24-hour streaming news service out of syndicated entertainment magazineEntertainment Tonight, CBS CEO Leslie Moonves said at Variety’s Innovate Summit on Wednesday.

“We’ve talked about next year launching a 24-hour entertainment news service based on our show ET,” Moonves said.

Should CBS launch the service, it would join other CBS digital services such as CBS All Access, Showtime Now, CBSN and an upcoming streaming service from CBS Sports planned to launch next year. The new sports streaming service would not air games, Moonves said at the summit, although NFL games cleared by CBS also air on CBS All Access.

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Both CBS All Access and Showtime Now exceed two million subscribers, Moonves said.

On Thursday, CBS All Access said it was picking up Tell Me a Story, a fairytale horror series from Kevin Williamson, creator of shows such as The WB’s Dawson’s Creek, The CW’s The Vampire Diaries, Fox’s The Following and NBC’s Time After Time. CBS All Access airs other originals such as Star Trek: Discovery, and The Good Wife spin-off The Good Fight.

Paige Albiniak
Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.