NBC has decided that the long held tradition of premiering new shows in the fall is at it’s end. The New York Times reports:

NBC Universal took a big step toward undoing one of the television industry’s oldest traditions by announcing Tuesday that it would move to a year-round schedule of staggered program introductions. The move is intended to appeal to advertisers, who crave fresh content to keep viewers tuned in.

Different networks and shows have been chipping away at the idea of “fall = new shows” for a while now. Sci-Fi in particular never seemed to adhere to that plan, and USA often has new shows premiering in the winter (both are networks owned by NBC Universal). So I’m not entirely surprised to find out that NBC is planning to ditch the idea. But I find it interesting because it’s going to change television in so many ways.

When all the new shows premiere at once, there’s a specific type of advertising push. It’s easier to remember that something new is coming on. But at the same time, that means each freshman show has a lot of competition, and often they don’t get a chance to find their audience before they’re gone forever.

I have missed out on the premieres of several of my favorite shows because they came at an odd time (Stargate seems to get me every season, I almost always miss the first one). Can viewers adjust to this new way of doing business? Do you think it’ll help you find great new shows, or will it just spread things out so much that new shows won’t drum up excitement anymore?