Showtime Launches Multi-platform ‘Tara’ Blitz
Consistent with the schizophrenic nature of the title character in its latest original series, Showtime is putting the premiere episode of “United States of Tara,” on more than 100 platforms prior to its official cable TV debut next Sunday.
The opening episodes of “The L Word” and “Secret Diary of a Call Girl” will also be available through the same free on-demand cable, broadband, mobile video networks, and blogging and social networking outlets when they also make their Showtime debut on Jan. 18.
Showtime has had success with similar preview campaigns, including a campaign comprising 60 preview outlets for last year’s debut of “The Tudors,” its dramatic series about the machinations in the court of King Henry VIII.
“This is our biggest push to date,” said Showtime spokesman Stuart Zakim. “It’s very effective for us and our [cable] affiliates like it.”
The new element this time around is the mobile platforms, which target a distinctly younger demographic for “Tara.”
“Tara” is best described as a “dramedy,” in this case a comedy with dramatic overtones, with Toni Collete in the title role as a woman who slides through a bizarre range of multiple personalities as her befuddled family tries to keep up with her mercurial changes.
The preview platforms include TV.com, Yahoo, YouTube, MSN, Fancast, Veoh, EW.com, Blockbuster.com, CinemaNow, TVGuide.com, Netflix, Facebook, Bebo, BestWeekEver.com, Gawker, and PopBytes. MobiTV, Verizon’s V-Cast Mobile TV, AT&T Mobile TV and Joost’s iPhone App will also carry all three shows in preview.
The opening episode of “Tara” will also be available in HD on SHO.com and TV.com.
And 24 cable, telco and satellite video providers will carry “Tara” on demand this week in the run-up to its scheduled cable debut.
