TOO MANY PREVIEWS FOR FOX’S NEW GIRL?

Fox TV may be giving so many potential viewers a chance to see online the entire first episode of its new comedy New Girl, starring Zooey Deschanel, that ratings for the actual broadcast could be affected, some experts have noted. It already is being screened on some hotel and college networks and on airline in-flight systems. Beginning today (Tuesday), the episode can also be viewed on iTunes. Then, on Sept. 13, it will become available via streaming on Fox.com, Hulu, and the Deschanel blog Giggles. It will remain available online through Sept. 19 but yanked the next day, when the show debuts. Fox exec Joe Earley told Daily Variety that he’s not concerned about the possibility of the preview campaign cannibalizing the broadcast audience. He forecast that early watchers will spread the word about the series to friends. “Hopefully, with that echo effect, we can bring in more viewers to the premiere than the number we’ve potentially lost for the first week,” he said.