In a cable first, a special episode of USA Network hit series The 4400 will premiere exclusively on Yahoo! TV (tv.yahoo.com) as a Web offering for one week prior to its digital run on USA’s Web site (www.usanetwork.com) and its TV debut June 4.
USA and its production partner, CBS Paramount Network Television, want to familiarize current, lapsed and new fans of The 4400 with The 4400 Special: Unlocking the Secrets, a one-hour show that captures big storytelling moments from seasons one and two.
As a way of maximizing sampling and viewership, USA will employ an atypical rollout strategy by launching through digital distribution outlets before the special’s TV premiere.
The 4400 special will debut and have an eight-day exclusive run on Yahoo! TV starting May 21, followed by video streaming on USA’s and Sci Fi Channel’s (www.scifi.com) sites May 29. The show will make its television debut June 4 across three NBC Universal outlets -- USA, Sci Fi and Bravo.
USA will also expand The 4400 content on its site -- one of the site's largest communities -- by creating a "Central Intelligence" for all things related to the series. The expansion will include Web exclusives such as audio podcasts, weekly character blogs, weekly writer and producer blogs, behind-the-scenes interviews, character back stories and preview clips.
The centerpiece of the site will be “Maia's Interactive Diary,” which is thematically linked to the show and its characters. Created by Glow Interactive -- the same creative force that developed the enormously successful interactive “Monk's Mind Game” based on USA’s Monk -- Maia's Interactive Diary will help viewers find clues to the mystery of The 4400 on a weekly basis.
