• The Wrap, Sunday, August 16, 2009 10:20 PM

Hoping to build buzz for its new fall comedy "Modern Family," ABC has begun quietly offering a group of viewers the chance to screen the show online -- more than a month before it premieres on TV. The hope is these taste makers will flip for "Family" and will begin spreading the word on Twitter, Facebook and other social media.

Most previous attempts to get people to sample a show have been aimed at reaching hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of eyeballs. ABC is going the opposite route by offering the sneak peak only to its "Inner Circle," about 20,000 members of a special online fan club.

ABC has been using this Inner Circle to send out video clips and information about key shows for six years now. This is the first time the network has used the club to screen a pilot.

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