CBS is considering producing original, eight-minute episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation series for its CBS.com website or for distribution on mobile devices, according to Larry Kramer, the president of CBS Digital Media, reports MediaWeek. Kramer did not say whether the mini-episodes would be ad-supported; possibilities include pay-per-view models for CBS.com users.

Similarly, MediaPost reports, the decision to allow Google to webcast "Everybody Hates Chris" is part of an "experiment" to determine the best use of TV content on the web. The point of the test, Kramer said, is to determine how many people watch the show online and how much traffic is driven back to Viacom websites as a result of the broadcast.

"It will give us a basis for understanding, at first cut, what we have to do in the future…to take TV and use it on the web," he said.

The Google webcasts are one way that CBS is considering how to use the internet; many shows also have blogs. Kramer also said the network posts original news content online, including political reports and other news that the networks don't devote time to.