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SUPERGIRL: First CBS Episode Leaked – Buzz Scheme or Theft?

Supergirl‘s First Episode has been leaked…or released. The unceremonious premiere of the first episode of CBSSupergirl is almost six months ahead of schedule. Supergirl‘s first episode was to premiere on CBS this November on a Monday night. The leak of Supergirl: Season 1, Episode 1: Pilot occurred two days ago, according to tracking firm Excipio.

The reason for the suspicion around the leak is because of its high-quality nature (“in a high-def, 1080p format”), it contains no watermark, and the timing of the release. If CBS wanted to generate buzz about the upcoming series and possibly rake in The Flash: Season 1 premiere numbers, this would be a good way to do it.

CBS also gets in the news because of the “leak,” they get in the news because of past film and TV episode thefts, they get into the news right after the first season of The Flash ends and both title characters (The Flash and Supergirl) appeared on the cover of Variety. CBS garners numerous early reviews for the series (without sending out screening discs) and they get mentions of the series across the Internet on social media, websites, news outlets, and blogs.

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Since the “leak” is six months from the actual premiere, any potentially damage will be mitigate because of time and other factors. “Any damage the release of the pilot could have done to viewership is going to off-set by the fact that it’s most likely going to be screened at San Diego Comic-Con and New York Comic-Con in July and October for the same people downloading it now anyway.”

CBS wants in on the millennial market. They found success with that this past fall and spring with Scorpion. They want more, who wouldn’t? They may have found that new millennial viewership stream via Supergirl.

“Warner Bros. (the show’s producing studio) and CBS” have a history of releasing TV properties early to the public and TV critics.

CBS already went against its own mold earlier this year with marketing when it sent the full 13-episode season of Battle Creek to critics ahead of the show’s premiere – which according to showrunner David Shore, is the first time that had ever been done by the network…Back in 2008, [Warner Bros.] was thought to be the source of a leak surrounding the pilot of Fringe, a show that would go on to survive five seasons on Fox for a grand total of 100 episodes.

Whether Warner Bros. and/or CBS released the episode or it was stolen, the episode is now available for viewing through illicit means. Was it marketing genius or another example of cyber-theft?

Leave your thoughts on Supergirl: Season 1, Episode 1: Pilot leaking early (and the questions swirling around it) below in the comments section. For more Supergirl photos, videos, and reviews, visit our Supergirl Page, our Supergirl Google+ Page, our subscribe to us by Email, “follow” us on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, or “like” us on Facebook for quick updates.

Source: Deadline, Forbes

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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