Verizon has unveiled their plans to join the cable industry’s “TV Everywhere” initiative – which involves offering paying TV customers (only) the ability to watch some paywalled content online. The industry believes the idea will help them prevent “cord cutters” – or those who turn to Internet video as an alternative to those now often bi-annual TV rate hikes. Verizon says their TV Everywhere offering will arrive in June, and will initially include access to all TNT and TBS shows – assume you subscribe to both FiOS Internet and TV:

FiOS customers who subscribe to both FiOS TV and FiOS Internet will be able to watch the programs on their personal computers or laptops – at home or away – using any broadband connection. Using their Verizon Online user names and passwords, FiOS customers will be able to access the online programming at either www.verizon.com/fiostvonline or soon-to-be launched TNT and TBS websites. After successfully completing their initial login, consumers do not need to sign in again for up to 30 days. Online programming from additional content providers also will be accessible via FiOS TV Online or the provider websites.

Of course Verizon doesn’t want to offer this content to just their Internet customers – lest they cannibalize their own TV revenues. According to the company, access to this content via mobile devices is something that’s in the works.

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According to Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg, the telco isn’t worried about the threat Hulu poses to their freshly created TV empire, because Hulu will probably be dead in a year or two from now. “This is in for the next eight to twelve months and in two years it won’t matter because the world will have moved on,” the CEO was recently quoted as saying. He might not be wrong — Hulu very well could be headed for also-ran status once Comcast acquires NBC Universal, and does its best to ensure that Hulu doesn’t rock the TV revenue boat or bump up against the cable industry’s TV Everywhere initiative. That said, “cable guys” tend to have a degree of hubris in thinking that Internet video will never really harm them, despite the fact that when/if Hulu dies, there will be a stream of competitors (including piracy) waiting in the wings.

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