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Travelin' thru

'Alias' makes its way to merchandise and mobile phones

By Andy Eiser

When future TV historians delve into the reasons behind the success of ABC's "Alias," they will find themselves in a position not dissimilar to that of the show's characters in search of a Rambaldi artifact: assembling myriad interconnected pieces.

To be sure, J.J. Abrams' unique signature brought instant appeal and a fair number of crossover fans when "Alias" bowed in September 2001, but the then-burgeoning Internet community, savvy merchandising tie-ins and, more recently, a push into the mobile-entertainment space have helped to confer cultlike status on the action-drama.

Millions of loyal viewers dissect and even obsess on every twist in the "Alias" plot line, and the network is making every effort to sustain that rabid following well beyond the show's first-run sunset next month.

"There are and continue to be a lot of opportunities with 'Alias' because there's a core fan base that can't get enough," says Bruce Gersh, senior vp business development at ABC Entertainment and Touchstone Television. "There are so many touch-points that allow us to reach the show's fans."

In addition to selling more than 1.2 million copies of its Seasons 1-4 DVDs, "Alias" has made its way into everything from apparel to action figures to trading cards. Then there's the show's entrance into the mobile space, made grandly last year in the form of "Alias" wallpapers and ringtones (thousands of downloads have been made from ABC.com) and video clips on Verizon V Cast, GoTV, SmartVideo and other outlets. That front was expanded this month via an initiative that saw Season 4 episodes and the first nine episodes of the current fifth season made available on iTunes for $1.99 apiece on April 18, with the remaining Season 5 installments available the day after their first-run network airings. "The ultimate goal is to drive the broadcasts, to drive people back to watching the TV show," Gersh says.

Along those lines, "Alias" is part of a recently announced, first-of-its-kind experiment that will see the Walt Disney Co.-ABC Television Group offer four hit primetime shows for free on ABC.com in May and June. Episodes of "Lost," "Desperate Housewives" and "Commander in Chief" will be streamed online the morning after they air, and the entire current season of "Alias" will be available for download. The ad-supported model boasts modified VCR-like functionality but will not allow consumers to fast-forward through embedded commercials.

The online initiative is not the only synergy between "Alias" and "Lost," another Abrams creation that became an instant phenomenon upon its September 2004 debut. According to Gersh, ABC adapted the lessons learned from incubating the former program to help form an equally rabid fan base for the latter, and both have hundreds of affiliated fan clubs while sharing similar merchandising and mobile licenses.

While "Lost" is set to sail on in the fall, the TV incarnation of "Alias" soon will be seen only in syndication on TNT. That hardly means, though, that ABC is finished cultivating its first true cross-platform franchise: Props, costumes and wigs from "Alias" will be auctioned next month on ABC.com, and a DVD mega-boxed set featuring all five seasons and plenty of extras will hit stores in time for the holiday season.

Says Gersh, "We learned early on that we had a special opportunity with 'Alias,' and we intend to develop it over time -- even after the show's first run is off the air."

Published April 26, 2006

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/feature_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002423917"