In an effort to build viewers, The Walt Disney Co.’s ABC network will be airing episodes of their forthcoming show The River in movie theaters. Paul Lee, president of ABC Entertainment, says:
We love the idea and we think that the benefits of making the show available to more viewers outweigh the impact it might have on ratings for the show.
The theatrical release of the new show will begin January 18 in Los Angeles, while theaters in New York, Philadelphia and Austin, TX will have episodes available later in the month. Releasing a few episodes in theaters before the drama officially premieres on the network is a bid to raise the network’s ratings, which lags behind CBS as the second-place network for prime time ratings.
The official premiere of The River on ABC debuts February 7.
