Cable network he SCI FI Channel has joined in the nationwide Free Comic Book Day event with a combination of on-air and online promotions, as well as by offering two very practical collectibles free of charge!
During the month of April, the SCI FI Channel is featuring "banner ads" during its top-rated show, Stargate SG-1, which airs Monday evenings starting at 7 PM EST. The ads direct viewers to "get a free comic book" by browsing to www.FreeComicBookDay.com, where the FCBD Store Locator will point new customers to local comic book stores.
On Mondays, SCI FI runs a "stack" of Stargate SG-1 episodes, beginning at 7:00 pm and ending at 10:00 pm. The banner ads run during each episode. On April 14, SCI FI reports that the ads reached between 695,000 and one million viewers, depending on which episode was being watched.
SCI FI will also make available a custom-printed comic book bag and backing board for participating stores to give out to customers. The bag will be printed with the Free Comic Book Day and SCI FI Channel logos along the bottom, while the double sided backing board will promote the SCI FI Channel Season 7 launch of Stargate SG-1 on June 6, 2003 on one side and tease the SCI FI Channel mini-series event, Battlestar Galactica in December 2003. In the spirit of the day, both will be free of charge.
Furthermore, the network is also advertising the event on its website with a special page devoted to Free Comic Book Day, as well as through its online Events Calendar and in its e-newsletter.
"Last year, the SCI FI Channel's Super-hero Saturday reached millions of viewers and drove people into comic book stores," said Free Comic Book Day Committee spokesperson Barry Lyga. "This year, the Channel takes its support of Free Comic Book Day to a new level. The bags and boards are great, practical gifts that also happen to be collectible. And the banner ads will attract more attention than any single commercial possibly could."
For more information about SCI FI Channel, point your browser to www.SCIFI.com.
