Streaming Katie

You won't need a television set to take in Katie Couric's new gig next month. CBS's (NYSE:CBS) youthful replacement for Dan Rather at the nightly news desk will also be reaching a younger audience online. CBS announced that it will begin live simulcasts of its evening news show through CBS.com, starting Sept. 5.

This is a pretty bold move in a year of network streaming milestones. Last March, CBS cashed in on March Madness with live Internet simulcasts of the college basketball tournament. A month later, Disney (NYSE:DIS) began broadcasting episodes of hit shows like Lost and Desperate Housewivesthrough its site.

It's different this time, though. Disney's ad-supported streams were only available the day after the shows ran on ABC. The NCAA tourney was streamed live, but that was an annual event, which worked in part because daytime games were perfect workday fodder in a nation smitten with office brackets.

CBS's 6:30 p.m. streams every weekday night may upset its affiliates, but could also excite its advertisers, who now have a shot at reaching a wider audience. CBS is doing this right, taking advantage of Couric's youth and likeability to provide additional online content like blogs, podcasts, and video clips that will shed a little behind-the-scenes light on the news-reporting process.

CBS split from Viacom (NYSE:VIA) under the premise that CBS would be the sleepier company. That may be the case, but with moves like this, it's clear that CBS is approaching its strong network position with eyes wide open.

Also greeting this trend with open eyes -- and arms -- are content-delivery specialists like Rule Breakers recommendation Akamai (NASDAQ:AKAM). Major companies that rely on the Internet are leaning on Akamai to deliver the digital goods quickly and securely. There are definite opportunities here as television viewing migrates online. Go ahead and enjoy the shows -- but don't be surprised if you're watching them with dollar signs in your eyes.

Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz is one of the poor saps who prefers to get his news from Comedy Central instead of the major networks, though he's suddenly intrigued by CBS's latest plans. Rick is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early. He does own shares in Disney, which is a Motley Fool Stock Advisor pick. The Fool has a disclosure policy.