US networks NBC and CBS are to sell some of their prime-time shows for 99 cents (57p) each to satellite viewers.
Internet downloads are popular for on-demand services
They will offer the shows to US viewers with DirecTV Plus recorders - a similar system to the UK's Sky +, which is offered to Sky Digital users.
Shows on offer will include CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
It follows rival ABC's decision to sell episodes of Lost and Desperate Housewives via the internet.
ABC's shows are available on via Apple's iTunes for $1.99.
TV on-demand services have been commonplace in the US through cable TV for some years.
But the NBC and CBS ventures are the first to give viewers access to several prime-time broadcasts on a next-day basis through their television sets.
NBC Universal Television Group president Jeff Zucker said: "It provides more exposure to the shows and gives the viewer the ability to watch the episodes on their own timetable."