Season three of critically acclaimed Canadian show Orphan Black premieres this Saturday, with the show’s broadcasters looking to convert some of its critical acclaim into an even broader mainstream audience.
The promotional strategy for the series’ third season is to retain the existing 24-to-55 year-old demographic while also tapping into a new, broader and younger audience pool, says Sandra Cardoso, director for Space marketing.
One way the channel is seeking to reach a new audience is in partnership with Vice via a complementary documentary about cloning called Cloning the Wooly Mammoth. The aim of the 22-minute documentary is to align the quest of cloning with the science of Orphan Black. The doc was commissioned by Bell Media and produced by Vice. It became available on Vice Media online channel Motherboard on April 8.
Another crucial promotional strategy was to encourage viewers to catch up with the previous two seasons in their entirety. Advertising the show on Crave TV and encouraging viewers to catch up with the two previous season was a key component in this long-lead strategy.
Premiere dates for Season 3 have been promoted on Crave TV since December as the date for the show’s new season was revealed during the Doctor Who finale on Space in November. The Doctor Who finale also featured 15-second spots during commercial breaks in which characters from Orphan Black recapped where season two left off.
A “multi-channel road block” will be executed this Saturday, with the premiere airing simultaneously on Space, CTV, Bravo and MTV. Within the event’s promotion, viewers will receive information on how they can catch-up with the previous seasons of the series. The show’s entire second season will also air in a Saturday marathon starting at 8 a.m on Space.
The new season will also feature a dedicated after-show called Innerspace: After the Black. The program will directly follow the main show and feature special guests, analysis, behind-the scenes, as well as providing clarity on some of the the show’s events.
The season three premiere of Orphan Black airs on Space at 9 p.m. on Saturday.
