Comments on: Premiering Pilots Online – Help or Hurt?

By: Lisa (aka lmr722)

Lisa (aka lmr722) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:14:55 +0000

As The Office (and other shows) has shown, there are some huge benefits to an online community. If I were marketing a new show these days an online component would be a big part of the marketing mix. I may go so far as to have an extended version of the pilot ONLY online ahead of time. Run the regular one on the appointed network at the appointed time. Word of mouth from savvy online viewers could pave the way for a successful season premier.

Online viewing hits the demographic that most advertisers are clamoring for and so it shouldn’t be difficult to find a sponsor. Case in point, I wouldn’t even have heard the name Pushing Up Daisies if it weren’t for you, GMMR, and other onine sources

Just my .02.

By: Rae

Rae — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 22:41:44 +0000

Look at me go, two links from you in one day! As you’ve already read, I can’t really answer the question either. It really has increased my desire to look into audience research and see just how much of it has been done for those who watch online.

I suspect, right now, it probably doesn’t actually hurt them either way but Benson is choosing to air on the more cautious side… just in case. As Kristi pointed out above, the people who will get access to the show regardless of ABC making it available are the ones who are really more dedicated to TV so, either way, those people are still going to be creating a buzz either way.

I think there are plenty who like the convenience of being able to catch up with shows online but I just don’t know if I think there are that many of your average viewers who are going to take the time to watch a show online BEFORE it’s aired. I think about the “average” viewers in my life and most of them don’t even know what shows are going to be showing up this fall much less care enough to find out whether they can watch them early or not. (This is where I start to question the decision because, if I’m right, then it seems like the only thing you’re doing is keeping the show from being available to the people who will talk to others about it. But, as I said, ABC has put the show out there a great deal this summer so maybe they’ve kind of evened out the scales.)

By: Premiering Pilots Online - Help or Hurt? — All This Nonsense

Premiering Pilots Online - Help or Hurt? — All This Nonsense — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 21:10:37 +0000

[...] reading this post by: Give Me My Remote For more… RSS [...]

By: Kristi

Kristi — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 20:41:22 +0000

Oh shoot, I posted in the other thread before you made it into it’s own topic. I’ll repost it here and add some more of my thoughts though

Well… it really doesn’t matter if ABC wants the pilot of “Pushing Daisies” online (officially) – it’s there and pretty easy to find. I don’t see why they wouldn’t though.. it brings in alot more hype and gets people talking. I recently blogged about alot of the pilots being on Torrent lately and I think it’s a good thing. When I see a new show – I talk about it whether it be good or bad and that makes others want to check it out as well.

I think people who actually take the time to DOWNLOAD an episode of a new show are the really dedicated kind anyways. The average viewer wouldn’t go through the trouble… and being the avid TV watchers we are we’ll recruit 4-6 new people for the one viewer who won’t be watching.

Here’s a link to the journal entry I wrote about the subject and my thoughts on the premieres I watched if anyone cares to check it out.

http://yournextdisaster.sweet-catastrophe.com/?p=784