Viacom will offer full episodes of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and the "Colbert Report" on Hulu.com starting today in a test project. The Comedy Central shows will be followed by others if things go well. Hulu will send up a portion of ad sales to Comedy Central as part of the deal.

The surprise is even bigger when one remembers that Viacom, Comedy Central's owner, did not want to sign up for Hulu. It appears that Viacom and MTV Networks, the Viacom division that encompasses Comedy Central, are willing to experiment to see how Hulu's ad-supported distribution pays out.

The Internet video site created by NBC and News Corp. was launched to the public on March, after a period of closed beta testing. In an attempt to bring the best selection of premium video content online, Hulu announced deals with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. and Sony Pictures Television, as well as World Wrestling Entertainment, Smithsonian Networks, the National Basketball league Association and the National Hockey league.

Hulu is counting on is the ads feature, aiming at both advertisers and viewers, by offering the option to choose to watch more ads from the advertisers on the site. For example, Nissan can give viewers the option to choose the car ad that they wish to watch, among several ads.

Hulu is an online video service set to offer its users a ‘premium’ selection of hit shows, clips, movies and sports, with a content provided by NBC, FOX, MGM, Sony Pictures Television, Access Hollywood, Bravo, E! Entertainment television, Fox Reality, Gamespot.com, National Geographic, World Wrestling Entertainment and many others.

Hulu started as a joint venture between NBC Universal and News Corp in March 2007 and also secured a $100 million investment from private equity firm Providence Equity Partners.