Updated: This may be the first season where more new shows debut online than not. Whatever the final total, it’s clearly the first fall TV season with a heavy emphasis on airing full episodes online as a promo tool to hype the new season. I wonder if some of the thinking is a little backward, though: in most cases, shows stop streaming before their on-air premiere, which means that someone who hears about the televised version won’t be able to catch up online. They might be able to download it from a pay service but $1.99 for a brand-new show is a big barrier. Networks need to find a way to work the buzz in both directions. Also, it’s going to be extremely hard to quantify the real impact of the online premieres so no jumping to conclusions a la “Snakes on a Plane.”
CBS: Warner Bros. Television is on a tear when it comes to online video deals. The latest is a promo stunt that puts three of its CBS shows on Google Video in the days leading to their on-air premiere. On tap the pilot episodes of the new “Class” and “Smith” plus the premiere for returning “The New Adventures of Old Christine.” Those last two are exclusive to Google. We’ve mentioned before how complicated this can be — two of the shows are actually produced by other companies “in association with” WBTV.
NBC: Announced at the upfront, NBCFirstLook.com has lengthy clips for some shows and will carry the full episodes od “Friday Night Lights” and “30 Rock.” Unlike CBS and Fix, NBC has yet to finalize a deal with affiliates. Marci Burdick, chairman of the affiliate group, said webcasts haven’t had a negative impact, according to MediaPost. That comment doesn’t take this season into account.
Update: A slight shift in gears from NBC, which just announced that it will stream full premiere episodes for every new primetime show on NBC.com. A new version of the NBCU video player NBC 24/7 will launch Oct. 1 with an enhanced hi-res large-format version.
— Post-premiere, the first four episodes of Kidnapped and Twenty Good Years will be available as will eight episodes of four new dramas.
— NBC will offer live premiere blogs, allegdly Aaron Sorkin and Tina Fey are among those blogging.
Related: WBTV Signs Online Distribution Deals With ABC, NBC
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