• by Wayne Friedman , December 28, 2005

CBS is expanding its Web site venues for its prime-time programming--as well as making Internet deals for shows it doesn't own.

Starting today, CBS will stream two full episodes each of its sitcoms "Two and a Half Men" and "How I Met Your Mother" on Yahoo! TV from December 27 through January 2.

These are encore episodes that were broadcast earlier this year. While deals between networks and Web sites have been done before, the CBS deal is a first for a network because it offers up shows for the Internet that it--and its sister production companies--didn't produce.

"Two and a Half Men" is produced and owned by Warner Bros., and "How I Met Your Mother" is produced and owned by 20th Century Fox. Those shows are licensed to CBS for network airing.

ABC's deal with iTunes Music Store, for example, was made because a sister company, Touchstone Television, produced "Desperate Housewives." NBC also did an iTunes deal for "Law & Order," among other shows. "Law & Order" is an NBC Universal-produced show.

CBS has already streamed other shows on CBS.com, and earlier this year, sister network UPN streamed the debut episode of "Everybody Hates Chris" on Google.

Previously, Yahoo! TV ran an exclusive premiere of WB's "Supernatural" the week before the show debuted on the network. Before that, Yahoo! did a streaming deal for Showtime's "Fat Actress."