USA Network hopes to amp up word of mouth and tune-in for for its renegade hacker drama “Mr. Robot” by making the pilot episode widely available through streaming and VOD sources nearly a month before its linear premiere.
The NBC Universal cable network is also targeting Hispanic audiences with the show that stars Rami Malek as an IT whiz who is recruited by an anti-establishment org to bring down the corporation he’s supposed to protect.
“Mr. Robot” will roll out May 27 on nearly two dozen partner sites, ranging from cable VOD and TV Everywhere platforms to iTunes, Amazon, Xbox, Google Play and PlayStation to IMBD.com, Crave Online, TheVerge.com and latina.com. USA Network president Chris McCumber said the goal is to make it widely available to the millennial demo, a key target for the show. The elaborate pre-launch plan underscores the importance of the June 24 linear premiere of “Mr. Robot” to USA, which is trying to shift the tone of its original dramas in an edgier direction.
“It is more important than ever to push boundaries in order to break through the clutter and reach new audiences,” said McCumber. “ ‘Mr. Robot,’ which has already garnered awards before it has even aired, gives us a unique opportunity to make some noise and drive word of mouth through this innovative pre-linear strategy.”
USA’s Spanish-language siblings Telemundo and NBCUniverso are key distribution partners for “Mr. Robot.” The NBCUniverso cabler (previously known as Mun2) will simulcast the June 24 linear premiere with Spanish subtitles, and subtitled episodes will be available on Spanish-language VOD platforms.
USA “Mr. Robot,” which also stars Christian Slater, generated some heat for USA in March when it scored an audience award at the SXSW film fest. It also screened last month as an official selection of the Tribeca fest.
