McManus said that CBS' experimental simulcasting of its March Madness on Demand, the NCAA basketball tournament proves there "is a huge appetite for real time content on the Internet."

While one might wonder what this news means for CBS' local affiliates — for which Couric's debut would seem to provide a much-needed bost in ratings for their local lead-in newscasts — CBS Digital president Larry Kramer wrote in an e-mail to FishbowlNY that the network "negotiated a new agreement with the affiliates that allows this to happen."

EARLIER: Will Katie's 'Couricness' Boost Ratings?

The full release:

"CBS EVENING NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC" WILL BECOME THE FIRST NETWORK EVENING NEWS BROADCAST TO BE SIMULCAST LIVE ON THE INTERNET

Free, Ad-Supported Live Webcast Will Begin on Tuesday, Sept. 5, When the Program Debuts on the CBS Television Network

The CBS EVENING NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC will become the first network evening news broadcast to be simulcast live on the Internet beginning Tuesday, Sept. 5 (6:30-7:00 PM, ET/PT), when it debuts on the CBS Television Network, it was announced by Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports, and Larry Kramer, President, CBS Digital Media.

"Viewers can now see the CBS EVENING NEWS live, as never before," said McManus. "This is a groundbreaking development in making the program available to the largest possible audience. For people who can't be in front of their televisions when the EVENING NEWS is on, they can now watch the program live on their computers. It's another giant step towards providing CBS News content to people wherever they are — in their homes, in their offices, in their cars, on their computers or on their cell phones."

"Technology has become an integral part of everyday life for most people, and it's dramatically changed the way they consume news, so this is a fantastic development," said Katie Couric, anchor and managing editor of the broadcast. "Now people will have access to great reporting by all the CBS EVENING NEWS correspondents, literally, anytime they want. It's another example of how we intend to use our website to complement our broadcast — and, most importantly, to benefit our viewers."

"As we learned from our simulcast of March Madness on Demand, there is a huge appetite for real time content on the Internet," said Kramer. "Viewers increasingly want access to programming when it’s fresh, and the Internet allows us to bring our content to them wherever they are and whenever that content is broadcast."

In addition to the live simulcast, the CBS EVENING NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC will also be available in two other ways. The complete broadcast may be viewed as an on-demand program any time after the live simulcast or, as has been the case for the past several years, viewers may build their own broadcast by choosing individual reports from each CBS EVENING NEWS program.

To access the simulcast, viewers will be asked to register so that they view it when the television broadcast is aired in their time zone. The live simulcast and on-demand versions of the broadcast will be advertiser-supported and free to all. CBSNews.com has long been a leader of free, advertiser-supported news video.

Other components of the CBS EVENING NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC that will be available online and on other platforms include:

• "Couric & Company" -- This blog will explore the day's developments through links to exclusive, free video, as well as contributions from CBS News correspondents around the world, and will be updated frequently throughout the day. Couric and the EVENING NEWS team will create a transparent, two-way, continuing dialogue with viewers and readers that encourages online comments and questions. The blog will be edited by veteran CBS News journalist Greg Kandra.

"Eye to Eye" -- This daily, on-demand web-exclusive feature will provide extended interviews with the day's newsmakers hosted by Couric and conducted by her or a CBS News correspondent. The segment will be posted on CBSNews.com by mid-afternoon and will run approximately five minutes in length. This report will be available for audio and video podcast and will be available on iTunes.

"CBS News First Look with Katie Couric" -- Early each weekday afternoon, Couric will offer a web-exclusive rundown on-camera from the newsroom -- a first look at the stories being considered for coverage on that night's CBS EVENING NEWS and some perspective on what is going on in the world that day. Correspondents may join her to talk about the stories they're reporting for the broadcast. This on-demand video clip, updated as needed, will be featured on the CBSNews.com home page and on the blog, “Couric and Company."

"Katie Couric's Notebook," a one-minute look into a top story or issue by Couric, will be available as an audio and video podcast and on iTunes.