Older CBS shows come to Hulu Plus

New CBS shows still won't be available on Hulu, but the network recently made a deal with Hulu Plus to release its older shows like "Medium" and "Numb3rs" to its $8-per-month online video service.

ABC, NBC and Fox, whose parent companies own Hulu, offer recently aired episodes, such as free next-day access for NBC's "Saturday Night Live." The CW, which is partly owned by CBS Corp., makes recent shows available for free on Hulu as well.

By contrast, the new CBS deal covers only shows that are no longer on the air. CBS offers free, next-day access to some of its current shows including "The Amazing Race" on CBS.com.

The addition of some 2,600 episodes of older CBS content starting in January bolsters the Hulu Plus offering, which has more than 2 million subscribers. Certain episodes will be offered for free to promote full-season access through the paid subscription plan.

CBS will earn unspecified licensing revenue from the multi-year agreement.