Beginning with tonight’s debut of the latest episode of Mary Mary, WE tv will launch an enhanced on-air encore format that allows viewers to share the reactions of the show’s stars to the night’s premiere.
Following the bow of the March 13 Mary Mary at 9 p.m, “WatchIt With” debuts at 10 p.m., capturing Erica and Tina Campbell as they experience the show for the first time. They will appear on screen in a picture-in-picture window for the entire re-air, discussing what is happening on screen as viewers see the show unfold.
At times, the stars will pause the action on the primary screen and engage in a more detailed and lengthy discussion – spread out over the full-screen – before resuming the episode. “WatchIt With” repeats will be 90-minutes in length, with the extra half-hour dedicated to discussion while the primary screen is paused.
Officials at WE tv said the network plans to follow each of the remaining third-season episodes of Mary Mary with “WatchIt With” repeats, and is considering using the format for other shows. The network offered select “WatchIt With” clips on its website during the first two Mary Mary repeat episodes this season and the pages were among the most popular on the site, driving triple-digit increases in page views to WEtv.com.
“WatchIt With combines aspects of traditional reunion and after shows and takes it a step further by adding dimension through the fresh and immediate perspectives of the stars portrayed,” said WEtv president Marc Juris in a statement. “This new format is designed to increase viewer retention and amplify audience flow to the network, driven by the authentic character responses to a show’s premiere.”
