• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, June 28, 2007

When it comes to pushing its popular series “Entourage,” the show’s Hollywood super agent Ari has nothing on HBO. Besides visiting the show’s Web site, fans can download “Entourage” podcasts and catch episodes via mobile phone.

They can also hang out on the show’s MySpace page or opine on Vince’s latest movie deal on the official “Entourage” bulletin board. Or they can hit the HBO online store to pick up their “Entourage” wristwatch. Prior to the show kicking off its fourth season on June 17, designer Adriano Goldschmied launched an “AG for Entourage” clothing line with jeans starting at $145 and T-shirts at $58.

In addition, a online game is launching, tied to a plot line involving Vince’s efforts to play Colombian drug king Pablo Escobar.

HBO aggressively hawks ancillary stuff for all its hit series — need a Sopranos’ dart board? — but with its hip, high-living characters, “Entourage” is especially well-suited to spin-offs. “With the audience it attracts, the direct marketing effort makes lot of sense,” says Ryan Okum, president of youth marketer StreetWise Concepts & Culture.

But will the hard sell lead to overexposure? “I don’t think it’s taking away any credibility,” says Okum.