No cable?
No problem, at least when it comes to this weekend’s broadcast of the “Comedy Central Roast of James Franco.”
Comedy Central is leveraging its digital platforms to offer fans a livestream of the James Franco roast, rolling out the show across CC.com, mobile, tablets and the CC:Stand-Up app on Xbox 360. No subscription is needed to view the roast on CC.com, and the Xbox 360 app will be unlocked for this special for all users.
Livestream will air concurrently with the East Coast television broadcoast of the roast, meaning West Coast auds will get a chance to peep the laugh-packed confab three hours before its scheduled premiere on their side of the nation.
“Comedy Central Roast of James Franco” will air Sept. 2 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on the cable net, and the digital stream will kick off at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT with a red carpet pre-show hosted by comedian Jonah Ray and Franco’s grandmother, Mitzie Verne. The 15-minute digital pre-show is produced by CC:Studios, Comedy Central’s inhouse digital studio.
Digital simulcast could, however, cannibalize the show’s on-air rating. But the digital push for the Franco roast certainly ramps up the social media potential for the special, as cord-cutting fans can still access the special in real-time with the rest of the nation — and with a Twitter feed open just one browser window away.
Popular on Variety
During the encore 11:30 p.m. presentation of the “Roast of James Franco,” social media will be integrated into the broadcast, featuring real-time tweets and Facebook posts on screen.
“Comedy Central Roast of James Franco” was lensed on Aug. 25 in Los Angeles.
