According to a new survey, the five major broadcast networks have really warmed up to offering free streams of their shows online, with about 90 percent of last seasons' TV shows available for streaming at some point. The catch: Within weeks, most of the free streams were yanked offline, meaning that cord cutters need to strike while the iron's hot.
The data comes from
Clicker, a programming guide and search engine for online TV.
Clicker found that the five big TV networks — ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and The CW — posted about 4,420 free streams of full episodes from 127 shows last season, representing about 90 percent of all network TV shows broadcast (not counting prime-time sports like the NFL).
Of the five networks, The CW is the king of free streaming, offering all of its broadcast episodes from last season online at one point or another, while ABC, Fox, and NBC served up more than 90 percent of their shows, according to the survey. CBS trailed the pack with about 88 percent of its shows available online for free, but it also posted a whopping 1,750 episodes online.
The networks are also relatively punctual when it comes to posting their free video streams, with more than half of all shows hitting the Web within a day of their original airdates, according to Clicker. "Nearly all" the rest get posted within a couple of weeks. Not perfect, but not too bad, either.
Something tells me that before long, the big networks will be streaming all of their shows online for free at one time or another, which makes the case for cutting the cord all the more compelling.
