( WIRED ) -- Two cable powerhouses have announced an ambitious pilot program that aims to convince their customers that , actually , TV on the web should not be free . Jeffrey Bewkes , chairman and CEO of Time Warner , speaks at the NCTA conference in Washington . With a service called TV Everywhere , Comcast and Time Warner will give cable subscribers access to `` premium '' television content via broadband , and later cellphone connections . To begin with , 5,000 Comcast subscribers will begin testing the system next month , giving them access to Time Warner 's TBS and TNT channels on their computers , and the same channels ' video-on-demand catalogs on their cable boxes . If you made peace long ago with the idea of paying a monthly cable bill , this probably sounds great . It means watching your existing subscription on new screens without paying additional fees or buying more hardware . ( Of course , as consumers adopt TV Everywhere , they can probably expect price increases . ) But if you prefer to watch your television for free on ad-supported sites like Hulu while paying only for the internet connection that delivers it , you could be in for a rude awakening . TV Everywhere represents an alternative -- and possible threat -- to the popular Hulu model . If the pilot program impresses the group -- and proves to other networks that its user-authentication system is secure -- Comcast and Time Warner expect the other television programmers , ISPs and mobile providers to join , giving all cable subscribers a way to watch the content they pay for on their televisions using any broadband-connected computer or authenticated cellphone . Already `` at least 92 percent of Americans qualify to watch this for free online , '' according to Jeff Bewkes , chairman and CEO of Time Warner . For these subscribers , TV Everywhere represents a potential win . The only question is whether they will keep paying for the old cable subscription model as their viewing habits shift online . There 's nothing to stop television networks from putting their content on both Hulu and TV Everywhere , because TV Everywhere 's contract will be non-exclusive , according to Bewkes . However , given the choice between Hulu and TV Everywhere , television programmers have an incentive to go with the latter . Only the TV Everywhere model promises to port yesterday 's lucrative business model onto today 's platforms . And that , according to some critics , is exactly the problem . `` [ TV Everywhere ] raises substantial anti-competitive issues by restricting the availability of programming to the favored distribution methods , '' said Gigi B. Sohn , president and co-founder of the public interest group Public Knowledge . `` Under the TV Everywhere plan , no other program distributors would be able to emerge , and no consumers will be able to 'cut the cord ' because they find what they want online . As a result , consumers will be the losers . `` In addition , we are concerned that this program violates the open nature of the internet . By adding this additional toll lane , Comcast and Time Warner want to create their own 'managed channel ' within the internet and turn the internet into their own private cable channel . '' So , what about Hulu ? Will its deals fall through given this new option ? `` There will be some part [ of Time Warner 's content ] that will be out there [ on Hulu ] , said Bewkes . `` Short-form content , I think , will continue to be available -- promotional content will continue to be available . '' However , only cable subscribers will be able to access other content online -- through officially licensed avenues , anyway . Bewkes added that some other television programmers have avoided Hulu `` for security concerns and because they did n't like the model , '' but that they will give TV Everywhere a chance . `` Consumers vote every single month with their pocketbook , '' he added . `` They do n't have to subscribe to cable . They do n't have to pay for these services , yet they do . The number of people paying for subscription television has gone up and up and up every single quarter that we 've been in the business . '' Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT ! Click here ! Copyright 2009 Wired.com .
Comcast and Time Warner will give their subscribers online access to tv content . Program is called TV Everywhere and will begin testing next month . TV Everywhere represents competition -- and possible threat -- to popular business model . Some of Time Warner 's content will appear on Hulu.com .