Free TV! Fox and the CW Streaming Pilots of New Shows Before They Air
To try to gain a little early traction, Fox and the CW are streaming free full-length pilot episodes of a few freshman shows ahead of premiere week.
The CW’s ‘The Secret Circle,’ which has its television debut on Thursday, is currently available on iTunes, bundled with a one-minute preview of the upcoming season of ‘The Vampire Diaries.’
Another CW newcomer, ‘Hart of Dixie,’ will stream on iTunes four days ahead of its official September 26 premiere. Those checking out the Rachel Bilson drama will also see a sneak-peek of ‘Gossip Girl.’
Meanwhile, iTunes and Hulu already have ‘New Girl,’ a Fox comedy with kitten-cute Zooey Deschanel as the title character, well ahead of its TV air date of September 20.
Both networks hope offering viewers an early look at the shows will help generate buzz and boost ratings. If it works, you can probably expect other networks to follow suit.
[via The Hollywood Reporter]