Is Broadway Ready For Simulcasting?

Twice this week I was told by Broadway producers I know and respect that simulcasting is about to come to Broadway.Me, I’m not so sure.Here’s the evidence. Two very enterprising Broadway producers, Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley, have started a company called BroadwayHD. The company’s aim is to extend the reach of Broadway and Broadway- caliber shows to anyone, anywhere. The company’s website has a selection of shows for streaming; you can pay per view or buy a membership. Check out the website here: http://www.broadwayhd.comTo my eye, the vast majority of these shows are London productions – I see a lot of Royal Shakespeare Company pieces. And that makes sense. The West End is far ahead of Broadway in embracing simulcasting and streaming, as befits an industry which is subsidized to a great extent by the government.But will it work here? Again, not so sure.You see, in order to simulcast a show, or to record a show for streaming, you need the permission of the presenting venue. Which means that Broadway shows will be simulcast and streamed online when the Shubert Organization, Jujamcyn Theaters and the Nederlander Organization sign off. These three companies are the most powerful in the Broadway industry because they control the theaters. In other words, to see a Broadway show you have to pay one of these three players.So, will these theater owners willingly allow people to see Broadway shows without actually sitting in a Broadway theater? Possibly, when and if either (i) it is sufficiently profitable for them or (ii) ticket buyers demand it. In other words, I don’t see this happening anytime soon.Don’t get me wrong, I believe that every powerful interest that has ever attempted to stand in the way of the advance of technology has become obsolete. Broadcast networks, the cable networks that replaced the broadcast networks, record labels, Blockbuster and Tower Records – all dinosaurs. It is inevitable that the internet will send the Shubert, Nederlander and Jujamcyn power houses to the same place that IBM, Polaroid and the Blackberry hang out. It’s not a question of “if,” it’s a question of “when.”But that “when” could be a while yet, so unless you’re going to be satisfied watching a lot of Shakespeare in the comfort of your own home then you better plan on getting your theater fix in the theater for the foreseeable future.