ABC and CBS are ramping up for Saturday’s iPad launch with shows designed to play on the multimedia tablet. Both broadcasters plan to stream shows with commercials to iPad owners — ABC via an iPad-specific app, and CBS via the Mobile Safari Web browser, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The ABC app is expected to offer streaming versions of many of the company’s shows by the time the iPad hits store shelves on April 3rd, such as Lost and Desperate Housewives. CBS plans to offer episodes of Survivor along with clips from other shows such as The Mentalist and How I Met Your Mother come Saturday, with more content to follow.
“We’re working very hard to make as much of it available as possible. Over time, it’ll be the same as online,” Commented CBS Interactive president Neil Ashe.
Netflix is apparently getting in on the iPad game, too, with its own app that streams TV shows and movies from subscriber’s accounts. Since the information about the Netflix app showed up on April 1st, also known as April Fools Day, there has been some question about the authenticity of the Netflix app. Both AppAdvice and AppShopper, however, claim the app is legit.