There's been no formal announcement, but subscribers to the Netflix movie rental service are learning that they'll soon have to give up streaming episodes of some of NBC's and CBS' programming lineup beginning Oct. 1.

Shows such as "30 Rock" and "Heroes," along with "CSI," appear to be coming off Netflix's rental list. It's likely that the agreement to carry such shows between the production studios and Netflix has ended. But some blogs, like Gizmodo, think there's a bit more to it: Hulu.

Although it launched two years ago, Hulu started a comprehensive advertising campaign last year that has helped boost its streaming video traffic that includes recent episodes from various television series, available for free to viewers as long as they sit through advertisements during the course of the broadcast.

Hulu was designed to help curb illegal downloads of television programs through peer-to-peer networks, as well as provide a commercial alternative to online viewing from the popular iTunes, which typically charges as much as $3 per episode, but provides such content commercial free. It was originally a partnership between NBC Universal (which produces and broadcasts "30 Rock" and "Heroes"), Fox Entertainment Group and Providence Equity Partners, which dropped $100 million into the project. ABC Inc., a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Co., joined up last April, picking up a sizable ownership stake in the property as well.

While the Hulu claims might work for NBCU properties, it doesn't quite pass muster for "CSI," which is aired by CBS and produced by CBS Paramount Television. Hulu currently provides select programming from NBC, ABC and Fox as well as their related cable channels such as Comedy Central, Bravo, Syfy and others.

Inside Blip has reached out to Netflix late Monday night to find out what was happening with the availability of these programs, and is waiting for a response when normal business hours resume on Tuesday.