Good news for those who are eagerly awaiting Debra Messing’s new series Smash – at least if you live in Canada. CTV will broadcast the first episode digitally this Friday, a before the series officially dances onto the small screen Monday on NBC and CTV.
This is the first time the network has had access to a U.S. show before its premiere.
The exclusive advance digital screening of the first full episode will air through Super Bowl weekend, beginning Friday, Feb. 3, at 6 a.m. ET and running until Sunday, Feb. 5, at midnight PT.
Viewers can catch Smash’s premiere instalment online on the CTV Video Player, on the CTV iPad App and Bell Mobile TV App, and on CTV Mobile. It will also air on demand via Bell Fibe TV On Demand, Rogers on Demand and Shaw On Demand, as well as on satellite through Bell Satellite TV customers on Channel 805 (in HD) and Channel 305 (in SD).
"CTV's first-ever advance digital screening of a new series is the perfect vehicle to launch Smash, the most anticipated mid-season program of 2012," said Phil King, president of CTV Programming and Sports.
"And to promote it, we've scheduled it during one of the most-watched weekends of the year, allowing us to sample this fantastic new series to as wide an audience as possible, just before its television debut."
The buzzed-about series revolves around a group of New Yorkers who plan to launch a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, but have yet to cast the titular legendary bombshell.
In addition to Messing, who plays the musical’s co-writer Julia, it stars Christian Borle as her co-writer Tom, Jack Davenport as director Derek, American Idol finalist Katharine McPhee as potential Marilyn portrayer Karen, Megan Hilty as her rival Ivy, and Anjelica Huston as producer Eileen.
Smash officially debuts on TV screens Monday, Feb. 6, at 10 p.m. ET on CTV/NBC.
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