As network television clamors to find ways to compete with cable and satellite television and stay relevant with ever-expanding multimedia options, Innertube is designed to be the online destination for CBS network television, promoting this season's veteran and fledgling shows as well as original programming exclusive to the Internet.

What is interesting from a branding perspective is the relationship between the 68-year old CBS television network and the months-old Innertube. While the official Innertube URL is filed under the CBS brand (cbs.com/innertube) rather than its own URL (like cbsinnertube.com), the rest of the site experience actually promotes Innertube as the primary brand, with the CBS parent brand having more of a secondary role.

The robin-blue/blue-grey color palette also adds to the site's look and feel, allowing the Flash slideshow of series' cast photos and mini-summaries to really pop off the page without being garish. The splash page also features a rotation of non-CBS ads on the upper right, under the top navigation bar. Overall—and despite that ad, which looks as out of place as, well, an ad—the site is more aesthetically pleasing than those of longtime CBS rivals NBC and ABC.

Once past the splash page, browsing through shows is surprisingly simple. Neat pull-down menus and categorization virtually eliminate the need for traditional page surfing. The video player (powered by RealNetworks' RealVideo; make sure your browser has the proper plug-in) is seamlessly integrated into the same page, allowing for both small and full-page views, and there are email and PDF features incorporated that encourage viewers to virally spread the Innertube love. Compared with network television, commercials are nearly nonexistent, with only one or two brief ads before and between segments.

People seeking alternatives to standard television fare would likely enjoy original programming such as "The Road to Price" (a bunch of guys on a quest to meet The Price Is Right host Bob Barker) and "Animate This" (the best of which, perhaps, features an animated Tommy Lee—yes, that Tommy Lee—recounting the time he ordered a helicopter to land at a friend's house in Hollywood Hills to shuttle a bunch of friends to a concert, much to the chagrin of the neighbors and the Los Angeles Police Department).

The site provides a new way to attract viewers who don't normally watch much network television, and is branded as more than just a place to watch reruns. But if you don't live in the US, you'll have to wait for a DVD release to catch up on those missed episodes of Jericho or Survivor: access outside the States is currently not permitted—possibly at the risk of losing a larger, diverse audience.

While broadcasting encore presentations of television shows via the Internet is a concept now employed by several networks, TiVo and other recording-device brands need not fear obsolescence (at least until there's an easy way to transfer shows from the web to the TV). With broadband bandwidth still very limited for lengthy videos—not to mention that not everyone has a broadband connection yet—picture quality is choppy, staggered, and frankly, annoying to watch. Old-school viewers everywhere can rejoice that so far, despite the best efforts, the TV isn't going anywhere.