Freeform, formerly ABC Family, has decided to shake up its traditional scheduling patterns. For its upcoming fantasy drama Beyond, the network will make all episodes available through on-demand platforms at the same time the show premieres, Variety reports.
Beyond is to premiere Jan. 2 in a two-hour installment; simultaneously, all 10 episodes of the first season will be made available via the Freeform app, Hulu and cable video-on-demand platforms. This is different from the typical ways shows are made available to the public; they usually either exclusively air on cable or streaming platforms, not both at the same time. By parting with the traditional method of releasing episodes on a weekly basis, Freeform will allow viewers to watch more than one episode at a time, which is especially good for new series.
This strategy proves difficult for cable advertisers because linear spots are still the most sought-after which creates an an incentive to bring the largest audience to linear programming.
Beyond centers around a young man who wakes up from a 12-year coma to find himself caught up in a conspiracy. The series is created by Adam Nussdorf (Once Upon a Time) and executive produced by Tim Kring (Heroes), David Eick, Steven Adelson, Zak Kadison, Justin Levy and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones. Burley Duffield, Romy Rosemont, Diane Matthews, Michael McGrady, Jonathan Whitesell, Dilan Gwyn and Jeff Pierre star.
“The premiere of Beyond marks an important milestone in the history of Freeform, nearly a year since our rebrand,” said Tom Ascheim, president of Freeform. “In the same way we modernized our brand, we are modernizing how we bring our shows to our audience. Beyond is our first, and definitely not our last, ‘binge-from-the-start’ show.”