In conjunction with Warner Bros., AOL has landed the exclusive online premieres of two new shows in broadcast network NBC’s upcoming fall television season before their broadcast premiere. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is a new drama from The West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin with a behind-the-scenes look at a late-night sketch show trying to avoid cancelation. Comedy Twenty Good Years follows two mismatched friends who, unsatisfied with their lives, vow to live their final two decades as if each day were their last.
The two shows are available for free viewing now, a week before their respective broadcasts on the NBC network. In addition, AOL has assembled a fall television package detailing all 82 primetime shows on network TV which includes teasers and video previews for dozens of shows, along with descriptions, cast info, galleries, and a channel grid to help plan your viewing.
“The buzz has never been higher around an upcoming fall TV season, so we’re especially pleased to give fans early access to two of the year’s most anticipated new series,” said Erik Flannigan, AOL Television’s VP of Programming. “These online premieres round out what we feel is the most fan friendly preview of the new season available anywhere on the web.”
“We’re pleased to be offering consumers the chance to view two of our most highly-anticipated shows ahead of their broadcast premiere,” said John Miller, NBC Universal Television Group’s Chief Marketing Officer. “This partnership with AOL allows us to continue our aggressive online preview campaign and ensures an enormous number of users will have an opportunity to sample our product.”
Broadcast networks (particularly last-place NBC) are facing eroding viewership as the number of cable channels and syndicated outlets increases and advertising spending is increasingly fragmented across other video and Internet marketplaces. While networks and studios have been keen to attempt marketing television shows using online video and Internet marketing, it remains to be seem whether these campaigns translate to actual viewers.
