Time Warner Cable Tests Online TV: Report

NEW YORK (TheStreet) --

Time Warner Cable(TWC Quote) has signed up certain major media companies in a test that will put television programs on the Web for paying subscribers, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing people familiar with the matter.

TV networks participating in the trial are expected to include General Electric's(GE Quote) Syfy, Time Warner's(TWX Quote) TNT, Cablevision's(CVC Quote) AMC, and British Broadcasting Corp.'s BBC America, the Journal reports. CBS(CBS Quote), Discovery Communications (DISCA Quote) and Viacom(VIA Quote) also are expected to take part in the trial.

Time Warner Cable's online test is part of an effort by cable-TV providers to prevent people from canceling subscriptions to instead watch free TV on the Web, the newspaper notes. Comcast(CMCSK Quote) started a similar undertaking in July.

Under the test, which could be disclosed as early as Thursday, TV shows will be made available on the Web to a limited number of homes. The test will expand in the coming months to include about 5,000 homes in several U.S. markets, the Journal reports, citing one person familiar with the matter.

To access the TV shows, people in those homes will have to sign into Web sites and fill out a profile proving they are subscribers to Time Warner Cable.

-- Reported by Joseph Woelfel in New York.