• by Wayne Friedman , October 28, 2011

Following its recent big exclusive and lucrative Netflix deal, the CW has struck a major five-year licensing deal with Hulu Plus for its current programming.

For CW,  Hulu Plus will be the only online subscription service to carry in-season episodes of the network's drama and reality series, which include "Gossip Girls," "Supernatural" and "America's Next Top Model." The five most recent episodes of each show will be available to subscribers the day after broadcast.

Users of the free, ad-supported Hulu service will be able to watch five episodes of current-season programming eight days after airing on The CW.

CBS Corp. and Time Warner, owners of CW, have long resisted making deals with the basic Hulu service. The owners believe their shows should be getting more value.

Hulu Plus is also ad-supported, but costs consumers $7.99 a month, which gives them greater access to more library TV programming. Netflix users now pay $16 a month for both DVD-mail order and streaming video -- also a sizable source of revenue for content providers.

Analysts expect the CW could bring in $100 million a year from its long-term Netflix deal. Les Moonves, president and CEO of CBS, has said CW, long a money-losing TV network, will now be a profitable "TV enterprise."

Financial terms of the Hulu were not disclosed.

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