ABC is looking beyond its own website as it starts to assemble a series of destinations to act as distribution platforms for TV programming, reports Mediaweek.

The network is reportedly in talks with AOL, MSN, Comcast, MySpace and others to carry ABC programming online.

The move is a reversal from its previous position of building ABC.com as the sole destination for viewing. But the network is asking that distribution partners mirror the viewing experience from the ABC site, using the network's own player to create a consistent experience.

That last point differentiates ABC's philosophy from that of CBS, which also partnered with a number of online sites to make CBS programming available far and wide. The latter allows sites to use their own players, sensing it is more beneficial to embrace a community than impose mandates to maintain its own network identity.