PHILADELPHIA - HBO on your PC? It could happen sooner than you think.

Wary of the growing number of consumers watching TV shows online for free — and yet reluctant to upset viewers by yanking shows from the Internet — the nation’s largest cable operators are in talks with media conglomerates to take back control. They would create a platform to release cable TV shows online, but exclusively for paying subscribers.

It’s a delicate dance for those involved, which include Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable Inc., Cox Communications Inc., Cablevision Systems Corp., General Electric Co.’s NBC Universal, News Corp., Viacom Inc. and Time Warner Inc.