NBC Markets Two New TV Pilots on Netflix

Authored by Rohit Bhargava on August 9, 2006 - 7:55am.

As TV marketers start to get ready for the new fall season of TV shows, the challenge of introducing new shows is the same as it ever was. Marketing a television show is steadily taking more and more lessons from Hollywood filmmakers, doing things like positioning new shows in relation to older shows, using big stars as a draw, and even using very movie-like trailers to promote the shows on television and online. Now NBC has found a new angle for promoting two new shows: offering DVDs of the pilots on Netflix. The pilots for Kidnapped and Studio 60, two new shows coming this fall on NBC are being offered on Netflix and actively promoted on the site through "you might also like" style banners where Kidnapped is presented to users who have previously looked at episode DVDs for "24." Just as Netflix remade the inside of their red envelope into must-have ad space to market new films, smart tie-ins like this combined with their highly user-friendly interface will help them fight off competitors and continue to take care of their legions of loyal customers. Look for NBC's rivals to copy this tactic very quickly.

Note: This post originally appeared on my blog, Influential Interactive Marketing. My bio can be viewed here.