In what can be termed as a high-profile test of whether consumers will be ready to pay for watching TV shows online, a paid subscription service – Hulu Plus – will reportedly be put to test as a “preview” for select users by the popular online video site Hulu as early as June-end.

The service, for which Hulu is negotiating agreements with content owners, indicates a new endeavor from the company – a move that will essentially address the changing Web strategies of its three big-media owners, namely, General Electric Co.’s NBC Universal, News Corp., and Walt Disney Co.

According to a recent Bloomberg report, Hulu is working on deals with CBS, Viacom and Time Warner’s TV studio units for adding their shows. The company currently includes content from Fox, NBC Universal, ABC, ABC Family, Biography, MGM, MTV Networks, National Geographic, Digital Rights Group, Paramount, PBS, Warner Bros., and Sony Pictures Television, among a number of other companies.

The ‘Hulu Plus’ paid subscription service will give subscribers a $10-per-month option to viewers for reportedly accessing a much wider range of TV shows than the free, ad-supported version presently being offered by the company.

According to ‘inside’ sources cited by the Wall Street Journal and All Things Digital, the Hulu Plus service would essentially work on PCs, set-top boxes, videogame consoles, and other specialized devices like the Apple iPad.