TORONTO – The CTV Broadband Network premiered season four of The O.C. this afternoon.
It’s the first U.S. network drama to be made available online in Canada prior to its regular air date. The O.C will have its television premiere on Thursday at 7 p.m.
The show (along with many others) are also being made available for preview and review on Myspace, News Corp’s massive social networking portal.
Episode two of season four will making its broadband debut following episode one’s television conclusion Thursday night. Visit www.ctv.ca and click on "The CTV Broadband Network" to check it out.
The O.C. on line follows a recent announcement by CanWest Global, which is making reality show stalwart Survivor available on line, albeit not until a day after the air date.
The first-look promotional broadband initiative is designed to build excitement, buzz and ultimately audience momentum for The O.C., says the CTV press release. Streaming will be geo-gated and available exclusively to Canadians coast to coast who have broadband access through a Canadian-based Internet Service Provider.
"Our broadband audience is growing rapidly and we’ve already experienced breakout success stories with Canadian Idol and Corner Gas," said Kris Faibish, CTV’s vice-president, digital media. "The addition of The O.C., launching in advance of the broadcast season premiere, provides a great warm-up for the season and a terrific hook for O.C. fans across Canada."
Adding The O.C. to its programming library marks a significant next step in the ongoing rollout of the CTV Broadband Network. More than 100 hours of top Canadian programs are also available on demand, and in full-length format, including CTV prime time shows: Corner Gas, Degrassi, Instant Star, Whistler, W-Five, the CTV National News.
CTV launched The CTV Broadband Network June 5, 2006 featuring four distinct broadband channels. Utilizing an advertiser-supported revenue model, the CTV BN features a free, premium broadband video player to deliver full length CTV programming in all forms from all genres at broadband speeds and enhanced resolution.
