Idea: Why Not Offer The First Episode Of Every TV Series For FREE?
By Peter Sciretta/Dec. 22, 2011 6:00 am EST
Everyone loves free stuff. People will even flock to free stuff when the free stuff is actually junk. Free stuff can be great marketing — and unlike a lot of marketing promos, it actually works.
Sure, you see a promotion like the Pan-Am freebie pop up every once in a while, usually when a network is forced to do something drastic. But why not make it a regular thing? If the content is good, people will spend their money on it. Its why HBO and Showtime give free previews every once in a while.
As a digital buying consumer, I would love to try out some tv shows I wouldn’t normally consider purchasing. iTunes currently has a “Free Episodes” section, but it’s filled mostly with free featurettes, trailers, sneak peeks. It’s actually hard to find television episodes in the “Free Episode” section. I find that a little sad.
It would be great if Apple iTunes offered the first episode of every television series for download in HD for FREE. If people end up liking the pilot episode, they’ll want more. The problem is that Networks are resistant to offer up their content for free on digital devices — so I think it would take a powerhouse like Apple to force this deal. And I could see such a feature as a part of the long rumored Apple television.
