The Most Unpredictable and Interactive Show on TV Goes Raises Bar with a 360° Virtual Reality Simulcast, Giving Viewers a Front Row Seat in the Live Studio Audience
FUSION and Chris Gethard are taking its promise to deliver the most interactive show on television to the next level by giving viewers a virtual front-row seat to the unpredictable action that unfolds each week on “The Chris Gethard Show.” FUSION has partnered with with immersive entertainment company Surreal to produce a full-length VR episode to complement the television broadcast of the August 6 installment of TCGS, which will feature special guest Kumail Nanjiani (“Silicon Valley”). Viewers of the VR episode will also have access to behind-the-scenes content that attendees of the live tapings get to experience. “The Chris Gethard Show” airs Thursdays at 10:00 pm, ET on FUSION.
“At ‘The Chris Gethard Show,’ we try to make the audience a part of the experience and really put them in control,” Gethard said. “With virtual reality technology, we’re proud to make the experience of attending a taping available to anyone anywhere in a real way. It doesn’t matter if you’re in New York City with us anymore. You get to be a part of this.”
"Audience interaction and participation has been a hallmark of ‘The Chris Gethard Show’ since its inception,” said FUSION Chief Programming Officer Wade Beckett. “We’re excited to partner with Surreal and enter uncharted territory of interactivity, allowing viewers to have an even deeper personal experience with Chris and the TCGS crew. It certainly won’t be boring–of this, we are certain.”
“We’re working closely with Gethard, Funny or Die, and the producers of the show to define those key moments that make attending the show a special experience. This is an exciting event in television history, and we couldn’t be happier working with this forward-thinking team,” said Rick Rey, CEO of Surreal.
Viewers will be able to stream the VR episode online at TheChrisGethardShow.com and on YouTube (YouTube.com/ChrisGeth). The video will be compatible with Google Cardboard devices, and those without VR headsets can still watch in 360 degrees on their desktop browser or mobile device. Surreal is working with immersive video technology partner im360 to capture the experience.
From its inception as a stage show at New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theater to developing a cult-like following as a public access television show, “The Chris Gethard Show” made its national television debut this spring on FUSION to rave reviews. The A.V. Club called TCGS “the future of TV talk shows.” ”[Gethard] is poised to shake up late night the same way David Letterman did more than 33 years ago,“ said VICE. “The Chris Gethard Show is insane, immature, brutally honest and unlike anything you have ever seen,” Playboy noted. "Meet the next comedian to change late-night forever: Chris Gethard, talk show renegade for the Tumblr generation,” said Salon.
“The Chris Gethard Show” is produced by Funny Or Die in conjunction with FUSION.
ABOUT SURREAL
Surreal is a Los Angeles-based media company founded by online video veterans who want to change the way people experience entertainment. Led by chief executive officer Rick Rey and chief content officer Andy Vick, they create and distribute short-form immersive video across content platforms, new and traditional, including virtual reality devices. More info at Surreal.tv.
ABOUT FUSION
FUSION is a multi-platform media company that serves a young, diverse, and inclusive millennial generation across its television and digital platforms. FUSION delivers a unique mix of news, pop culture, and comedy content that is both smart and irreverent. FUSION’s cable network was launched as a joint venture between Univision Communications Inc. and the Disney/ABC Television Network on October 28, 2013; FUSION launched a new website in February 2015. FUSION has agreements with several major distributors to carry the cable network including DirecTV, Dish, Cablevision, Charter, Cox, AT&T U-Verse, Verizon FiOS and Google Fiber as well as OTT providers including Apple TV. @ThisIsFusion | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram | Google+ | Tumblr