• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, September 1, 2006

Microsoft's MSN has forged a deal with the new network The CW to stream season premieres of three programs--"Runaway," "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Veronica Mars."

The shows will be available for on-demand streaming for the week leading up to their air dates. TV Newcomer "Runaway" will debut online Sept. 18, while "Everybody Hates Chris" will go live Sept. 24, and "Veronica Mars" will debut on MSN Sept. 26. All shows will be streamed without ads.

The deal signals MSN's continued attempts to beef up its TV offerings. Earlier this summer, the company started streaming Fox's "Prison Break" and "Vanished." MSN also struck struck a deal with Fox to syndicate "Arrested Development" online. Also, MSN in March streamed the first episode of F/X's "Black. White." and previewed part of NBC's new series "Heist" before it aired on TV.

But MSN hasn't yet built out its TV portfolio to the same extent as rivals for online eyeballs. Yahoo, for instance, recently launched a new fall preview site with detailed information about 34 upcoming TV shows. Yahoo also struck deals with CBS and NBC to stream the pilot episodes of "Jericho" and "Heroes" for one week prior to their on-air debuts.