HBO allows legal sharing of video content

In a first for the U.S. movie channel, HBO will use the internet and viral marketing to spread the word about an upcoming new comedy series.

by Helen Leggatt

hbo%20logo.jpg HBO, partnering with interactive ad agency Deep Focus, launched their latest online marketing campaign earlier this week. The campaign centers on a new comedy series from New Zealand called “Flight of the Conchords”.

HBO have made the entire 30-minute pilot episode freely available online. During the initial launch, May 15 through May 21, the episode will feature exclusively on its own MySpace page and be promoted throughout the MySpace network, including MySpace Comedy and MySpace Video sections.

A number of online partners, besides MySpace, will distribute the show including iTunes, Movielink, Roadrunner.com, BlipTV and YahooTV.

"It was our desire to make Flight of The Conchords available to the masses via multiple platforms and to let the content move virally,” said Courteney Monroe, senior vice president, Consumer Marketing

Not only is the pilot episode available online, but HBO is making it portable. Viewers are directed to an HBO site where they are given an embed code enabling them to legally re-post the episode within their social-networking profiles, blogs and websites.

"Technology has conditioned us to demand entertainment on our own terms,” explained Deep Focus CEO Ian Schafer. “At the same time, social networks, blogs, and other forms of communication have combined to create the largest peer-referral network ever. When we consume quality content, we inherently want others to share in the joy.”