The hit comedy Modern Family will make its USA debut on Tuesday, and the network is giving the acquired series the full digital treatment.
Modern Family is a big deal for USA; with it, the network is hoping to cultivate a new audience. There is only an 8% overlap between Modern Family viewers on ABC and viewers who watch USA.
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"This is a big opportunity for us to not only grow audience but also build a different type of audience," Alexandra Shapiro, USA's executive VP of marketing and digital, told Mashable.
In order to do so, USA is treating the series with the same savvy used on its original series.
"This is a big show for us and we want to make it feel like it's part of USA," Shapiro said, referencing an aggressive campaign to promote the show off-network.
USA also sees the opportunity to create a digital world for Modern Family fans that doesn't necessarily exist anywhere else. Since USA is airing the show 11 times per week (versus once per week on ABC), it has the opportunity to engage with fans on a much more frequent level.
Thus, the network has integrated Modern Family completely into its USA Sync second screen platform. Starting on Tuesday, Modern Family viewers can use their tablets, smartphones or web browsers to interact with Modern Family episodes.
Viewers can access content at ModernFamilySync.com, on the USA Anywhere App and via NextGuide, Shazam, Viggle and zeebox.
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Moreover, because USA expects that many viewers will be watching episodes for a second (or third) time, it worked with the co-creators of Modern Family and many of its writers to build in a great deal of interactive and behind-the-scenes content to feature on the second screen.
"The quizzes and behind-the-scenes information that air during the third run of an episode will be different than the stuff that happens during the first run of an episode," Shapiro explained.
In addition to the second screen experience, USA is embarking on a broader social campaign for Modern Family called MOFY Nation. MOFY, which stands for "Make Our Family Yours," has its own website at MofyNation.com and a separate social experience.
Viewers can sign up and declare their MOFY allegiance. They can also create memes, get insider information and compete to win prizes. On Oct. 28, USA will hold a "Fan Appreciation Day," during which the fans can enter for the chance to travel to Los Angeles. There, they will attend a table read for a fan-voted episode of the show, followed by a Q&A and screening of the episode.
USA has held similar fan appreciation events for Psych, but an off-network show does not often receive such support from the cast, crew and writers.
Users are also encouraged to use the #MOFY hashtag on social media to share user-generated content about their own families and thoughts on the show.
USA will also recognize fans with the most points or the best "MOFY moments" on air.
With Modern Family, USA hopes to create the same type of audience buy-in that TBS has found with The Big Bang Theory. Like USA, TBS' pre-Big Bang audience had very little overlap with the CBS audience.
Shapiro, the USA marketing VP, said that part of the reason behind the digital and social push for Modern Family is an understanding that an audience already exists around the show. With MOFY and the second screen integrations, the network hopes to build a place for those fans to congregate.
USA has experience building fan communities. From Psych to Covert Affairs to Suits, USA's biggest original programs attract massive fan bases.
Do you plan on watching Modern Family on USA? Let us know in the comments.
Photo: Hopper Stone/Fox
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