Comic Cons have been growing at an exponential rate and the love for this pop culture event is travelling across the globe. San Diego Comic Con which has been growing since 1970 and has grown to be multigenre entertainment and comic convention, announced that it has teamed up with Lionsgate to launch a streaming service with classic sci-fi and fantasy titles, live streams of select SDCC panels, and original programming, including scripted series and unscripted news shows.
This subscription video-on-demand service (SVOD) will be called as Comic-Con HQ and will debut with free beta access on 7 May, ahead of San Diego Comic-Con that’s going to take place from 21 to 24 July, with a preview night on Wednesday, 20 July. This SVOD would be more like Netflix but more particularly for the nerds.
Former G4 stars will be heading up some of Comic-Con HQ’s programming. Adam Sessler, of the gaming show X-Play, will host an interview series and executive produce other shows on gaming, comics, and science. Attack of the Show‘s Kevin Pereira will executive produce something akin to a late night talk show, as well as an entertainment news show. Comic-Con HQ intends to make these into daily or weekly programs.
“For nearly half a century, Comic-Con has served as the definitive common ground where the fans of genre entertainment come together to express their passion for comics and pop culture,” said Comic-Con HQ, EVP and general manager, Seth Laderman in a statement. “Comic-Con HQ aspires to extend that exchange 365 days a year, bringing everything we love about Comic-Con to the world in ways never before seen and experienced.”
The service will boast a variety of programs, from one-on-one interviews with celebrities and comics pros, to comedy shows, to live coverage of convention panels and more. The service will be free to use at first, but it’ll require a paid subscription later on; a price has yet to be announced. Comic-Con HQ will formally launch (start charging money) in June.