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LOS ANGELES, Sept 10 (Reuters) - CBS Corp Chief Executive Leslie Moonves said on Wednesday the company could offer its premium cable TV channel Showtime directly to consumers in the future.
At the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference, Moonves was asked if he was thinking about making the on-demand Showtime Anytime service available to viewers who don't have a cable subscription.
"Is there some time in the future that could happen? Absolutely," Moonves said. "I don't know when it is."
Consumers are increasingly watching TV programming over the Internet, forcing media companies to consider offering online access to individual networks or make them available only through cable and satellite packages with multiple channels.
Showtime rival HBO offers all of its current and past shows through HBO Go, now available only with a pay TV package. Executives at HBO and parent Time Warner Inc have said the HBO Go product could one day be sold separately but as of now, the current business model makes more economic sense. HBO and Showtime receive a share of the subscription price collected by pay TV providers. (Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli and Marguerita Choy)
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