NBC Offers ’30 Rock’ Downloads via TV Guide
NBC is cashing in on Tina Fey’s notoriety for her Sarah Palin shtick. The network is offering a free iTunes download of the show “30 Rock,” which Fey co-stars on, to TV Guide readers with the current issue.
A code for the premiere episode of “30 Rock” appears on the cover of each copy of the Oct. 27 issue of TV Guide, which hit newsstands yesterday. Readers can enter the code online to receive the download of the season opener, airing on Oct. 30.
Fey’s popularity for her impersonation of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on “Saturday Night Live” was a big factor in NBC’s iTunes tact.
“The effort with TV Guide and iTunes is focused on capitalizing on the unparalleled pop culture phenomena that is Tina Fey and “30 Rock’s” critical acclaim,” said Adam Stotsky, president of NBC entertainment marketing.
Download instructions are included in the magazine, which also carries a “How Do We Love Tina Fey?” story, comprising quotes from family, friends and colleagues about the “30 Rock” co-star.
Both Fey and co-star Alec Baldwin have won Emmys for their roles in the sitcom about the network TV business. The iTunes play is a ploy to draw younger male viewers to sample the show, which suffered a ratings sag at the end of its second season last spring.
“iTunes usage is quite broad but does have a younger skew to it,” Stotsky said. “So the platform is perfect for ‘30 Rock’s’ current viewers and iTunes broad appeal will help us to attract the audience we’re looking to continue to grow.”
Audience growth is an urgent priority for NBC, which is already an also-ran in the early ratings race among the broadcast networks. Three of its new series, “My Worst Enemy,” “Kath & Kim,” and “Crusoe,” are having trouble finding an audience, as the broadcast networks are each coming up short compared to last fall’s ratings.
NBC streamed the debut episodes of those three series on Yahoo one week before their network premieres. NBC also streamed the “30 Rock” opener on its site and a host of other video Web sites, and currently has five episodes of its second season archived on NBC.com.
Stotsky declined to say whether NBC would revisit its iTunes maneuver with future series, but he did say the network would use “innovative sampling partnerships” as part of its ongoing strategy to bring more eyeballs to primetime shows.
