Why hasn’t Starz officially confirmed the Outlander Season 4 premiere date yet?

Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room
Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room

It’s pretty clear now that November 4 is the Outlander Season 4 premiere date. So, what’s Starz waiting for? Confirm it already!

When Starz released the Outlander Season 4 promo with a premiere date, I’ll admit I was a little surprised and confused. Part of me knew it was just a mistaken release rather than a quiet announcement. When the trailer was removed from Facebook, it was clear that was the case.

By this point, the date had spread. November 4 was on everyone’s lips. You would have thought by then that Starz would have just confirmed it.

But no! The Outlander Season 4 premiere date still hasn’t been officially confirmed. In fact, Starz representatives are still telling people that there is no set date right now. Why, then, does TV Guide state that the premiere is November 4? That feels like a set date to me.

Is Starz employing a clever marketing trick?

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The accidental trailer drop, the refusal to confirm the date, and not doing anything to stop the November 4 date to spread (notice the network hasn’t said an outright no?) tells me that this could now be all part of a marketing ploy. I mean, the date is one of the most talked about subjects in Outlander Facebook groups and on Twitter.

We’re doing Starz’s marketing for them. By constantly trying to guess if this date is right, we’re spreading the news about Outlander Season 4. We’re helping to draw more people into this wonderful series.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – MARCH 15: Sam Heughan from the TV series Outlander departs a filming location at St Andrew’s Square on March 15, 2018 in Glasgow, Scotland. Dozens of fans have gathered to catch a glimpse of Sam Heughan and co-star Caitriona Balfe as they filmed in the city’s Salmarket area for series four of the programme. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – MARCH 15: Sam Heughan from the TV series Outlander departs a filming location at St Andrew’s Square on March 15, 2018 in Glasgow, Scotland. Dozens of fans have gathered to catch a glimpse of Sam Heughan and co-star Caitriona Balfe as they filmed in the city’s Salmarket area for series four of the programme. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

So, maybe, just maybe, Starz is just playing the marketing game. They know once they confirm the Outlander Season 4 premiere date, that’s it. This part of their free marketing will stop and it will be a case of the public finding something else to pick up on.

Of course, they could release more new photos, like the first look images of Ian and Rollo that Entertainment Weekly released yesterday. The problem is images don’t have quite the same impact as a premiere date.

Can Starz go back on this date now?

Really, November 4 kind of has to be the Outlander Season 4 premiere date now. Too many publications (and official publications like TV Guide) have stated this date. If Starz goes back on this date because of a potential mistake (or clever marketing) they did with the drop of the trailer, then there would likely be a riot.

Stay tuned into Claire and Jamie for an Outlander Season 4 premiere date as soon as it drops.