Cable television leaders look to Net, wireless

WASHINGTON -- Executives at some of the largest media companies said Thursday that they're willing to offer cable programs on the Internet and mobile devices for free to people who already subscribe to cable or satellite — at least on a test basis.

"We're just saying that if you use the Internet for free, you should just get what you've already got in your home," Bewkes said in a panel discussion. "We ought to be taking the ad model from cable networks and move it to broadband."

He added, though, that if online usage can be limited to existing cable and satellite subscribers, then "streaming full networks online would be an interesting and potentially compelling feature for consumers, and we are certainly open to exploring that possibility."

In other developments: