NBC is doing everything in its power to give TV viewers a chance to see the networks new shows prior to the beginning of the Fall televisions season. Starting today, DVDs of Chuck, Journeyman, and Life will be available for free rental at Blockbuster stores across the country. All the shows come on one special DVD created by NBC that also includes a two-minute sneak preview of Bionic Woman. The DVD will be available at Blockbuster through October 21. Subscribers of Blockbuster Total Access can add the Fall Preview DVD to their queue and receive it in the mail. Starting September 10, anyone with Comcast, Charter, Time Warner of DirecTV On Demand will be able to access the pilots of Chuck, Bionic Woman, Journeyman, and Life for free. In addition, anyone with an internet connection will be able to access free pilot episodes of the same NBC shows for on Amazon.com’s Unbox service. The Amazon deal just happened early this week, and will extend into the TV season, when viewers can purchase episodes of select NBC shows for $1.99.
NBC is making it clear that they are embracing today’s technology and looking for new ways to market their product. It also shows that they are confident and proud of the new shows they are unveiling this Fall. Chuck has tough competition in its time slot, going against Prison Break and Dancing with the Stars, among others, and are wise to get Chuck seen prior to its debut. It truly is one of the best new shows of the Fall and it’d be a shame if it got looked over in favor of more established programs.
The NBC/Amazon deal comes in conjunction with NBC and iTunes going their separate ways. For the past couple season, fans had been able to purchase episodes of various series at the iTunes store. NBC, who was in a dispute over episode prices with Apple, have decided to make the move to Amazon.
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
Source: Hollywood Reporter, NBC
(Image Courtesy of NBC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
