• September 7, 2005

The WB debuted the premiere episode of new prime-time series "Supernatural" online on Yahoo! Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m., a full week before it is scheduled to air on TV. The promotional exploit is the highlight of a larger effort combining online, television, and guerrilla advertising, to promote the tale of two brothers who face evil forces as they search for their missing father--a program The WB's Chairman Garth Ancier called "The number one priority for us this fall." The move is part of a general trend toward previewing television shows online before they debut on the air, in order to generate buzz and word-of-mouth. In March, the social networking site MySpace.com--which has since been acquired by News Corp.--Webcast the complete premiere episode of NBC's comedy "The Office," more than a week ahead of its scheduled broadcast pilot. That same month, Yahoo! streamed the first episode of Showtime Networks' series "Fat Actress" simultaneously with the cable television debut. Before that, in August 2004, Warner Bros. let America Online stream the first episode of its teen drama, "Jack & Bobby," before it aired on TV. -- Gavin O'Malley