By the time many of this fall’s new TV shows premiere later this month, a number of Web-savvy viewers will have already given their thumbs-up or thumbs-down.
That’s because networks including NBC and Fox are offering free sneak peeks of the pilot episodes of their new shows online.
But the TV industry is divided over whether distributing shows online before they air on TV is a promotional boost or a move that cannibalizes ratings.
Leading the controversial strategy is NBC, which is making the pilot episodes of all of its new entries – “Bionic Woman,” “Chuck,” “Journeyman” and “Life” – available for free download through Amazon.com’s digital video store, Unbox.
The network, which last year offered the pilot for its breakout hit “Heroes” as a free download through iTunes before it ever aired, thinks Web buzz generated through advance viewing can help establish a base audience for its new shows.
However, the other networks, concerned about the impact on ratings, are taking a more cautious approach to letting viewers sample their new shows before they are on TV.
Fox, which like The Post is owned by News Corp., is testing the waters of advance sampling by previewing just a pair of new shows online: “K-Ville” and the recently premiered “Nashville.”
Those shows were made available as a free stream for any third-party site to host for a two-week period. The episodes ended up on 200 sites ranging from AOL, Yahoo! and MSN to midsize sites like TV.com to smaller sites like givememyremote.com, blogcritics.com, allyourtv.com and nola.com
With its other upcoming shows, like the new Kelsey Grammer sitcom “Back To You,” Fox is only offering snippets from the pilot through fox.com.
ABC, CBS and The CW are not offering any pilot episodes for advance full sampling on the Internet, instead favoring only teaser trailers and clips of the pilots for online viewing.
The philosophy of many TV execs is that full-length shows on the Web should be for repeats and catching up on missed episodes only.
“From a marketing perspective I don’t believe you have to release full episodes prior to their premiere on the network to generate buzz,” said Michael Benson, executive vice president of Marketing for ABC Entertainment.
“We are limiting the amount of material we are putting on before the premiere, because we want to do everything we can to drive an audience to the premiere of the show,” he said.
In lieu of offering advance episodes online, ABC has been building additional buzz by hosting group screening events – previewing the fantasy-themed “Pushing Daisies,” about a man who can communicate with the dead, at the ComiCon convention and in more unusual settings like a Los Angeles cemetery.
In the case of The CW’s “Gossip Girl” the network is offering an extended six-minute trailer online, as well a series of music videos, each one dedicated to setting up a different character from the show.