An Experiment In Transmedia: Fox Show To Be Viewed On iPad Before TV

In an effort to generate excitement for a new series, Fox will be offering the entire first episode of its new series Lone Star – in advance of the series premiere – to some Vanity Fair readers, cruise line passengers, hotel guests and iPad owners. Contrary to previous logic, Fox learned that previewing a series before its official premiere date would not cannibalize the television audience subsequently measured by Nielsen.

The first episode will be inserted via DVD in New York and Los Angeles subscriber copies of the October issue of Vanity Fair, as well as in newsstand copies in the New York area – reaching about 400,000 readers. It will also run on Vanity Fair’s iPad application – it’s not yet estimated how many viewers it will reach on the iPad, given the application’s relatively recent launch. Fox will also support the show’s premiere with traditional media, via print ads in the October Vanity Fair.

Besides Vanity Fair, the first episode will also be screened on the Hotel Network at Starwood and Ritz-Carlton, on an internal Princess Cruises network, and on some Virgin America, Delta and JetBlue flights.

Overall, Fox’s intention was for the previews to deliver an exclusive experience, and to create the perception that this is a ‘special’ show – something that needs to be watched in order to be enjoyed and understood.

We also observed that ‘Lone Star’s’ preview across different platforms before it officially airs on network TV could offer an opportunity to learn how a variant of transmedia (the fluid movement of entertainment across platforms and media) could improve the viewing experience, and how the show is presented to and experienced by viewers across each different platform.

Lone Star

[via New York Times]