Viacom and Hulu Part Ways

In the first major fracture between television show owners and the wildly popular Hulu.com, Viacom will remove "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," "The Colbert Report" and other Comedy Central programs from the video site next week.

The companies said Tuesday evening that they were parting amicably, but Viacom's decision is a serious loss for Hulu. This week "The Daily Show" is listed as the third-most-watched show on the site, behind "Lost" and "Family Guy." The decision also highlights the large gulf between the expectations of consumers -- who demand a wealth of free and easily accessible content on the Internet -- and the media companies, who are seeking a more profitable business model online.