In a first for a major Australian TV production, all six episodes of Chris Lilley's keenly anticipated new comedy, Jonah From Tonga, will be released online before it is broadcast on ABC1 next month.
The move mimics the strategies of innovative US players such as online-only Netflix, makers of the Emmy-winning House of Cards, which is widely credited with changing the way viewers engage with TV content in the wired world.
An ABC/BBC/HBO production, Jonah From Tonga has Lilley reprising the tearaway schoolboy and teachers' worst nightmare Jonah Takalua, who was last seen being expelled from school in Lilley's earlier comedy Summer Heights High.
From May 2-4, the series will be available for streaming via the ABC's online player iview.
The BBC will embark on a similar release strategy the same weekend.
Despite his own initial scepticism, Lilley believes the plan is "genius". "People consume my shows in different ways ... it's not like event television where you watch straight away to find out the MasterChef winner."
While it's a boon for fans who have become accustomed to binge viewing, it signals a shift from the traditional model of the TV business, changes that Australian broadcasters have so far been reluctant to embrace.
Foxtel has been criticised for its release of Game of Thrones. Its deal with HBO shuts out local streaming services, such as iTunes, until the series has aired entirely.
ABC director of TV Richard Finlayson believes the industry is watching what's happening with Netflix closely. "The [Game of Thrones] backlash tells you that already people have very different expectations as to the way they should receive video."
