Commentary

All Aboard ''BSG''

Sci-fi fans waited decades for the next generation of the late-1970s TV series "Battlestar Galactica" to arrive. When the Sci-Fi Channel made their wish come true in January 2005, the programmer knew it would find an instant fan base. But it wanted more.

Thanks to its merger into the NBC-Universal family, Sci-Fi was able to pack a lot more marketing into the show's launch. Debuting first as a miniseries event, "Battlestar Galactica" was promoted on such NBC-Uni channels as Bravo and USA Network. Now well into its second season, the show pulls in about 2.3 million viewers a week, mostly 18-to 49-year-old males.

Marketing the show is a cinch, says Adam Stotsky, Sci-Fi's senior vice president of marketing. "This show is like lightning in a bottle, from a marketer's perspective," Stotsky says. Sci-Fi appeals to viewers with a smorgasbord of online messages and viewing options. "The sci-fi audience does deliver a very early-adopter, tech-savvy user base," Stotsky says.

It's no surprise, then, that "Battlestar Galactica" was among the first shows to be available for download to video iPods. On the Sci-Fi Web site, fans can keep track of the show with video blogs and podcasts from the cast and crew, who deliver behind-the-scenes information about the show. The "BSG" bulletin board is peppered daily with posts from fans debating plot lines. Stotsky says that all these efforts amplify the buzz.

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