In yet another experimental effort by a major broadcast network to somehow leverage the power of web-delivered video, Fox is making season premiere episodes of seven TV shows available via iTunes at no charge. The goal is not so much to make money right now but to prime the pump by exposing iTunes users to new TV shows.
It's a promotional effort, then, and a relatively smart one at that. The shows, including new series "Prison Break," "Bones," "American Dad" and "K-Ville," will only be available for two weeks after their premieres. Moreover, given the newness of the programs, the downloads aren't likely to swipe many viewers from the actual broadcasts.
At best Fox could gain new fans for untested TV shows, who might end up buying individual episodes via Apple's store later, and at worst some viewers might be turned off by the freshman programs. But Fox has little to lose from a financial perspective and a lot of knowledge to gain about the power of iTunes, the distribution of new TV shows via the Internet and the caliber of the debuting series.
Posted by Cynthia Brumfield at 8:41 AM | Print | Comments (0)
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