MTV becomes the first network to pre-release an entire TV series through an app

By Gwen Ihnat | October 25, 2013 | 5:19pm

Aux Features TV

MTV has become the first network to pre-release an entire season of a series via an app, a week before the show even airs. Capitalizing on the “binge-watch” trend most are enjoying on Netflix, MTV is making all 12 episodes of its upcoming high-school football reality show, which boasts the now-ironic title Wait Till Next Year, available to watch right now through its official app for iPhone, iPad, and Xbox 360, provided fans have a cable provider. Wait Till Next Year is akin to a reality show spin on Friday Night Lights, concerning the Lincoln Park Railsplitters, a Michigan high school football team that recently won its first game since 2006, ending the longest string of defeats in Michigan history.

This announcement follows similar efforts by its sister channel VH1, which made CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story available on a new VH1 app, but only after the biopic had aired. Previously, MTV promoted its Miley Cyrus documentary Miley: The Movement by providing two new clips after fans tweeted #UnlockMiley, leading to an 82-percent boost for downloads of its app. (Though it seems unlikely tweeting that was worth the effort for anyone else.)