FOX has done it.
Sho has done it.
Even Spike TV has done it.
And now, NBC is finally beginning to join the online early-screening club by releasing a week early on Hulu the season premiere of 30 Rock.
Personally, I’ll wait another week to see the epi in glorious HD, but feel free to enjoy the premiere over here.
Who’s betting that, thanks (but no thanks) to Sarah Palin, 30 Rock is gonna break records come next week?
YouTube has announced today that they will start streaming “long-form professionally produced content” also known as TV Shows. The Google-owned website has inked a deal with CBS to stream such fan faves as Star Trek or Bevery Hills 90210.
What is interesting to note though is that, although current CBS shows are not included, some Showtime shows are, like Dexter and Californication.
I would guess CBS wants to keep its viewers on its own VOD website. Especially since the CBS VOD website will also stream all those shows and more.
Anyway, prepare to witness the birth of YouTube commercials, as before, during, and after the programs will be shown some ad spots.
Google is probably trying to regain some of the viewers lost to Hulu, although I’m having a hard time believing YouTube-streamed classic shows will bring in said viewers.
After all, the video quality over on YouTube is crap compared to other streaming services.
There was also this little announcement about Psych and Burn Notice being renewed.
Yay! \o/
Looks like the current crisis is giving some execs development ideas.
2009 will be all around world-changing and/or cataclysmic events. In movies (with a lot of remakes/adaptations such as TDTESS, Blindness, World War Z) and especially on TV.
Indeed, in the last few days 3 new shows have been ordered and they seem to be quite timely, to say the least.
First up, The Return, by Greg Berlanti (creator of Everwood and Eli Stone) and René Echevarria (creator of The 4400), which, as the name may or may not imply, will delve into the “return” of aliens on Earth and the effects it has on the world.
Second, we have Flash Forward. No, this is not a Lost spin-off, although it will most likely be televised right after the Island-show. David S. Goyer (writer of the Blade trilogy as well as Batman Begins and TDK’s story) and Brannon Braga (creator of Star Trek Enterprise) co-wrote the script based on Robert J. Sawyer’s novel. The show will tell the story of the world blacking out for two minutes as they are collectively having a horrifying vision of what is coming in 20 years (Paris Hilton President?) due to scientific experiments gone terribly wrong. Braga and Goyer tried to take the show to HBO, which liked the concept but passed on it. Then there was this bidding war between ABC and FOX where the former won.
Last but not least we have Americatown. And guess what, the show will revolve around the exodus of the American populace around the world 20-25 years from now when a terrible financial crisis plunges the U.S. into decline. The writer behind this is Bradford Winters with lots of big names behind, like Tom Fontana, Barry Levinson, Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy.
Two other TV news:
Huge congrats to Jane for finally getting her own show (picked up last week – 11 hours including the 2h pilot – for a July premiere)!
I, for one, am looking forward to next year’s shows.