The101
Latest
Showtime's United States of Tara hitting Netflix Watch Instantly first
Boy, these content guardians sure are getting brave. First was Friday Night Lights debuting on DirecTV's The 101 weeks before network TV, and now Showtime's United States of Tara is scheduled to be available first via Netflix's Watch Instantly service. The series premiere will be made available on January 8th to Netflix subscribers, while it won't be aired on Showtime until Sunday, January 18th at 10:00PM. Also of note, it appears that the show will air on DirecTV's The 101 channel on January 9th, possibly indicating that Showtime is keenly interested in gauging interest in exclusive pre-launches. Finally, we're told that season premiers of The L Word and Secret Diary of a Call Girl will hit Netflix customers day-and-date (January 18th) with the network debuts. We're beginning to wonder if Netflix can do any wrong.[Thanks, Vanbrothers]
DirecTV goes public with The 101 fall lineup
We won't come close to saying that a dedicated HD channel is reason enough to make the switch to DirecTV, but if you've been teetering, have a look at what you'll be seeing / missing out on this fall. The satcaster has just unveiled its fall lineup for its exclusive The 101 channel, and before we go any further, let us emphasize that each and every show mentioned will be delivered sans commercials. As you well know by now, the third season of Friday Night Lights will begin on October 1st at 9:00PM ET / PT, and for fans of that, they'll surely dig the companion show Live From Dillon. DirecTV is also planning new seasons for Supreme Court of Comedy and Rock & A Hard Place, and it's even bringing a sneak preview of the new original series from Starz Entertainment, Crash. Not bad DirecTV... not bad at all.
Farm Aid 2008 airing live on DirecTV's The 101 commercial free
Farm Aid 2008 will be the first to broadcast live (and commercial free) on DirecTV's The 101 (awk-ward, since it's broadcasting from the Comcast Center near Boston). Every bit of the John Mellencamp-tastic classic rock, country and contemporary live music broadcast is coming our way in 5.1 surround sound from 4 p.m. until 11 p.m. on September 20. DirecTV's managed to squeeze its interactive feature in, the red button on the remote takes viewers to more information about Farm Aid, the performers and how to support family farms. Already got tickets? Catch a replay immediately following the show or one of the three times it will air the next day, and don't forget the satcaster plans to match its subscribers donations from September 6 to September 30 to the tune of $50,000.
Odyssey: Driving Around the World to make US debut in HD on DirecTV's The 101
DirecTV has been queuing up series for its exclusive The 101 channel for some time now, but if you were curious as to when the next would arrive, here's your sign. Defiance Entertainment's Odyssey: Driving Around the World is all set to make its US debut on said network, as it ventures to take viewers across "four continents and two oceans, all to raise money and awareness for Parkinson's disease." The show attempts to integrate "extreme adventure travel with social responsibility," and will touch down in places such as Costa Rica, Macchu Picchu, Argentina, Australia and Myanmar (just to name a few). Travel junkies, set your HD DVRs -- the 13-episode series takes off on June 5th at 8:00PM ET.
HD premiere of South Park's Imaginationland airing on DirecTV's The 101
Believe it. Your wildest (okay, maybe one of your wildest) dreams is about to come true. Tonight at midnight (local time, we presume), South Park will air for the first time ever in high-definition (on TV) when "Imaginationland" takes center stage on DirecTV's The 101. Viewers can delight in the feature-length, director's cut from May 30th to May 31st, and if that wasn't enough, the season eight premiere -- "Good Times With Weapons" -- will also be broadcast in HD on the same station. We can't say for sure that this is a sign of things to come, but we doubt we're alone in hoping so.[Image courtesy of Scott Tenorman / Comedy Central]
Season 3 of Friday Night Lights to air on DirecTV's The 101 first, NBC second
It's not atypical to see shows ink exclusive deals with carriers every now and then, but this one's pretty bizarre. Apparently the third season of Friday Night Lights has been green-lit for production, but in an effort to "spread production costs while rekindling a series," all 13 new episodes will air first on DirecTV. In other words, by the time all non-DTV subscribers see S3 in early 2009, customers of the aforesaid sat provider will have already experienced the baker's dozen. Filming is slated to resume sometime this summer, and DTV users will have access to the new season on October 1st on The 101; sometime after the Super Bowl (in 2009), it'll broadcast on NBC. Weird, huh?[Via Chicago Tribune, image courtesy of PopTheology]
DirecTV queues up another HD series on The 101
For DirecTV subscribers worried that The 101 would go to waste by broadcasting content solely in SD, we've excellent news. Just weeks after announcing its first HD series on the channel and boasting that it would be covering the South by Southwest Music Festival in high-def, along comes news that yet another series is on deck. Hometown Heroes will reportedly hone in on everyday people "who make a difference in their community," and will seek to inspire viewers throughout the ten-part series to take action in their own neighborhoods. Things get kicked off on April 6th at 9:00PM ET /PT, and we have all ideas we'll be seeing a lot more content where this came from.
DirecTV showing South by Southwest Music Festival on The 101 HD
Just days after DirecTV announced the Supreme Court of Comedy series that would soon be hitting The 101 in HD, the firm has now found yet another way to utilize the exclusive channel to its benefit. About a month from now, DirecTV will enable subscribers to listen in to all three days of the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas, and yep, each day will indeed be broadcast live in beautiful high-definition. This year's SXSW Live will reportedly feature "24 live performances, backstage interviewees, behind-the-scenes coverage and commentary by music industry experts," and if that wasn't enough, an "interactive feature" will be available via DTV remote controls providing band schedules, information and history. Sound good? Feel free to tune in March 13th through 15th -- things will get kicked off each evening at 5:00PM EST.
DirecTV gears up for HD comedy series on The 101
DirecTV users have been spotting HD content on The 101 sporadically for some time now, but it seems that the satcaster is getting official with its plans to launch an original series on the channel in glorious high-definition. Slated to debut on March 3rd at 10:00PM EST / PST, Supreme Court of Comedy will "feature real people trying their small claims disputes with America's truest judges of character -- comedians." Those who tune in will catch the faces of Dom Irrera, Jamie Kennedy, Sinbad, Paul Rodriguez and Tom Arnold, and according to DirecTV, it's "completely unscripted." Go on and set your HD DVRs, fine citizens -- you'll have ten episodes of this coming your way starting in just under a month.
