CBS has become the latest US broadcaster to offer full length programmes over YouTube – but UK viewers will not be able to beat the crowds as the service is limited to over the pond.
With HBO and CBS already experimenting with the popular video site, CBS are now content to offer classic shows like Star Trek and more modern fare like Ghost Whisperer online.
UK broadcasters have certainly been no slouch in this area, with a huge array of online content available – including the hugely popular BBC iPlayer, but those viewers hoping to skip the wait for new American series by watching them legally are out of luck.
Blocked
The YouTube channels currently filter by geographical location and block non-US visitors accessing the programmes – leaving people with a long wait or moral decision on whether to access the content illegally.
This is obviously because of the huge revenues generated by selling the programmes to foreign broadcasters.
However, the writing appears to be on the wall for lengthy waits for television series, with stations catching on to the fact that the longer they leave it, the more people seek alternative options.
Many UK broadcasters are now airing programmes on our televisions just days or weeks after they are first broadcast in the US, such as the new series of Heroes, which has less than a month's lag on our stateside friends.
