MediaWorks is premiering full episodes of two of the biggest television shows of the 2012 season online, ahead of their television broadcasts next month.

Top-rating Zooey Deschenal sitcom New Girl, which is set to screen on FOUR from Tuesday 7 February, is available to watch online from today at FOUR.co.nz/NewGirl.

The multi-Golden Globe winning Homeland, one of the most anticipated dramas of the year, will be available to watch at TV3.co.nz/Homeland from 9am, Thursday 2 February, ahead of its TV3 debut.

Each episode will be available online for a week, and the special advance screenings are only for the season premieres.

The initiative is a first for the broadcasting company, which has a stable of television, radio and online assets, including a well-patronised 'on demand' catch-up television service.

Director of Programming, Kelly Martin, says that she's looking forward to seeing how New Zealanders respond to the online previews of New Girl and Homeland.

"We're always looking for innovative ways to launch our big new shows," Martin says.

"This is a first for us, and quite possibly a first for New Zealand television. I'm genuinely curious to see how the audience reacts."

Non-traditional approaches to television promotion have paid big dividends internationally. When Fox made episode one of New Girl widely available ahead of the US season launch, two million people watched the show online, and the word-of-mouth translated into ratings success, with a debut television audience of more than 10 million viewers.

Homeland and New Girl are part of a stellar line-up of new season programming which is rolling out on TV3 and FOUR from Sunday 5 February.