Sinclair and MGM's Comet TV is an (Almost) Overnight Success

As year two begins this joint as well as unique collaboration between a station owner Sinclair and iconic content maker MetroGoldwynMayer is poised to both expand its multicast environment and soar beyond it Comet TV a showcase for science fiction and related genre movies and TV series largely from MGM39s library wrapped year one last month available in nearly 100 markets in multicast form covering about 75 of all US television households More than 70 Sinclair stations put Comet on their multicast lineups and the affiliate list includes individual stations owned by Sunbeam Tribune Media and other groups Sinclair handles the channel39s distribution MGM the contentquotWe39re pleased on all frontsquot says Sinclair Vice President Scott Shapiro quotWe hit every projection made for the first year The best thing is we39re not just leasing multicast space We own this spacequotShapiro expects Comet TV to clear 110 markets by the end of 2016 then open up a new pillar of distribution throughout 2017 That pillar is smart TV sets from the likes of LG Samsung and Panasonic and devices that smarten up TV setsamp160such as Apple TV Roku Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV More than half the American public now owns a smart set device or both and that growing universe is what Comet TV will count on to reach nationwide availability In preparation for that milestone the network39s feed is streamed live 247 on its Web site wwwCometTVcomMGM is equally bullish about Comet39s future quotThe programming is resonating with viewersquot says John Bryan President of MGM Domestic TV Distribution quotEverything is well ahead of schedulequotJust how strongly is it resonating Consider this As millions watched Super Bowl XLIX this past February on NBC more than 460000 viewers kept their television sets tuned to Comet TVamp160amp160The attraction The Twonky the way offbeat and rarelyshown 1953 movie about a walking breathing TV set that makes household havoc starring Hans Conried and writtendirected by famed radio scribe Arch Orbler FYI Twonky is a synonym for inexplicablequotThat39s mindblowing and it speaks well about the level of fan interest in a service like thisquot Shapiro exclaimsFor Bryan Comet39s charm for its audience lies in how eclectic its schedule is both in range and scheduling The primetime schedule changes from night to nightamp160 One night can consist of movies around a theme or character like Godzillaamp160another can feature a trio of episodes from Jeremiah a drama MGM produced from 200204 for Showtime quotWe do movie or TV marathons at funky timesquot he saysamp160quotas in running a bunch of films about Mars on the day when Mars is closest to EarthquotSeries from MGM39s library currently in play include the original and revived versions of The Outer Limits Poltergeist The Legacy and Dead Like Me Episodes drawn from other sources also pop up including Mystery Science Theater 3000 Other oftenscheduled attractions include the various Stargate series In other dayparts Comet offers a number of nonfiction science and nature series that children and families can view together such as Dragonfly TV Think Big and Wild World Several were filmed or taped at the San Diego ZooAnd from time to time Comet presents coverage of science fiction comic bookgraphic novel and sciencerelated events from around the country These specials or vignettes are produced by local Sinclair stations from Seattle to Baltimore depending on where the event happensComet offers 14 minutes of national advertising time per hour largely taken up by directresponse products and services Web site TrueCar is one of the first nonDR sponsors and Shapiro anticipates more will hook up as distribution increases Separately Sinclair also sells ads on Comet TV39s streamed feed plus banners and spaces on the Web site Comet TV39s backers expect the channel will be rated by next springBoth companies attribute the progress of Comet so far to rabid fan interest in science fiction and the fact that they had an existing multicast relationship prior to launching this network Sinclair was an early affiliate of This TV MGM39s 247 classic TV showcase that started in 2008 and followed suit when MGM introduced The Works quotComet was launched in 90 days from conceptionquot notes Bryan quotYou can move quickly when you have a good relationship goingquotIf year two is mostly about distribution year three looks like the time Comet will undertake original scripted and unscripted series Shapiro and Bryan already see originals on the channel39s horizon once 100 million homes can watch over the vehicle of their choice multicast smart sets or devicesquotIt39s in the cardsquot Bryan assures quotStill it has to be the right cardsquotShapiro believes Comet TV already represents a pivot in Sinclair39s multicast approach quotThis is an example of the organic network development and content opportunities we39ll now pursuequot he says quotUnder this pursuit we can take a multicastamp160network and stream it mobile it make it available to anyone in any space MGM shares this vision You39ll see us morph what Comet is doing to other projectsquotWhat an unTwonky way to goEditor39s Note This is the third in a series of columns on the growing set of programming ventures from Sinclair Broadcast Group the nation39s largest owner of television stations You can read the others hereClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this article are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers

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Sinclair and MGM's Comet TV is an (Almost) Overnight Success

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