While television networks continue looking for the best way to distribute full-length episodes online, CBS is taking a new approach that might seem a little old fashioned. The network is launching EyeLab, a production studio tasked with creating short video clips based on CBS content.

CBS reports that less than a third of the visitors to their website want to watch full-length episodes online. Instead, the network is betting they want to watch short, entertaining YouTube-style videos. The project was inspired by a user-generated clip called "Endless Caruso One Liners" uploaded to YouTube a year ago. So far, it's been viewed over a million times.

You can still watch full-length episodes of selected programs through the CBS website. But CBS is hoping that the shorter content will serve as a promotional vehicle for the network's cash cow. You know, television. The funny thing is, we've kind of come full circle. When internet video first became practical a few years back, short promotional snippets were pretty much the only thing the networks were interested in putting online.

[via Mashable]