Ready for More Broadway After the Tony Awards? Let Sling Freestream’s Broadway On Demand Entertain You
If you were one of the 4.3 million viewers who tuned into the 2023 Tony Awards on CBS or Paramount+ this past Sunday, you’re hopefully well on your way to becoming a full-fledged Broadway baby, if you’re not there already. The awards telecast, which celebrates and honors the best of Broadway, also serves as theatre’s biggest marketing campaign, often providing the first look for many people across the country at the plays and musicals that are currently on Broadway’s boards.
So, if the Tony Awards got you excited about live theatre, but a trip to the Great White Way isn’t in your near future, Sling Freestream has a fantastic, free alternative for fans to watch some of their favorite performances from home. Here’s everything you need to know about the streamer’s Broadway On Demand channel.
Broadway On Demand Isn’t Just Broadway
Added to Freestream in April, Broadway On Demand is an all-encompassing linear channel that provides theatre fans a 360-degree view of shows from Broadway, Off-Broadway, London’s West End, and more, providing users with full-scale pro-tapes of productions, documentaries on the business, behind-the-scenes content, and more.
During the heyday of streaming platform debuts in 2020, Broadway on Demand took on a niche segment of recorded musicals and plays that weren’t easily accessible and brought it into their own platform. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit that bigger streaming services paid attention to this space, with Disney paying a reported $75 million for the rights to distribute “Hamilton” and Netflix paid over $20 million to capture “Springsteen on Broadway.” However, unlike those services, Broadway On Demand doesn’t cost a thing on Sling Freestream as the programming comes with occasional ads throughout the performances, much like a broadcasted TV show.
What Shows and Musicals Can You Watch?
While you won’t see any of the shows you saw perform at the Tony Awards last weekend like Best Musical winner “Kimberly Akimbo” or Best Revival of a Musical “Parade,” nor will you see current smash hits like “Shucked,” “Some Like It Hot,” or “Funny Girl.” However, there are a number of exciting, full-scale Broadway productions available to stream, as part of the linear channel schedule and on demand.
Amongst them is the 2010 Tony winner for Best Musical “Memphis,” 1997’s “Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical” starring David Hasselhoff, the Tony-winning choreography of “Bandstand,” and George Takei in 2015’s “Allegiance.”
And if you want to learn more about the legends who make Broadway run, kick, and leap, check out “Bob Fosse: It’s Showtime,” an exploration of the legendary Tony Award-winning director, choreographer, and cinematographer behind such hit musicals as “Chicago,” “Cabaret,” and “Sweet Charity.” Or the documentary “Hamilton: One Shot to Broadway,” which is the story of the hit musical that brought the genius of Lin-Manuel Miranda to the attention of legions of fans across the world.
What Is on the Sling Freestream Broadway On Demand Channel in June?
- “3 Mo’ Divas”
- “Allegiance”
- “As You Like It”
- “Bandstand”
- “The Black Emperor of Broadway”
- “Broadway Master Class: Auditions”
- “Burning Man: The Musical”
- “Emma”
- “Ensemble”
- “Great Women Sings of the 20th Century: Chaka Khan”
- “Great Women Sings of the 20th Century: Sarah Vaughan”
- “Hamlet”
- “My First Year in New York”
- “No One Called Ahead”
- “Predator Songstress”
- “Skeleton Flower”
- “Stevie Nicks: Live at Red Rocks”
- “This World Won’t Break”
- “The Show Must Go On”
- “SuperYou”
Check out the preview for Broadway On Demand:
What is Available On Demand from Broadway On Demand on Sling Freestream?
Broadway On Demand on Sling Freestream has several options on demand, including “Macbeth” from the iconic Stratford Festival and the documentary “#Sugarwater,” which follows the first Deaf and disabled performance at The National Theatre in London. There are tons of other live performances, web series, documentaries, and more on the channel, and all of it is free.
- “Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies”
- “Blood Type: Ragu”
- “Bob Fosse: It’s Showtime”
- “Broadway Fanatic”
- “Call Me Elizabeth”
- “Frank Wildhorn and Friends”
“Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical”
- “Macbeth”
- “Memphis”
- “Puffs: Filmed Live Off-Broadway”
- “Ride: A New Musical”
- “Riot Act”
- “#Sugarwater”
What Is the Programming Schedule for the Broadway On Demand Channel?
As a linear, free ad-supported TV (FAST) channel, Broadway On Demand’s filmed performances, documentaries, and other programming are set to a schedule that rotates through all of the titles available in the catalog. However, as a general rule, the schedule follows these themes:
- Sundays: Shakespeare (and Shakespeare-inspired)
- Mondays: Musicals
- Tuesdays: Plays
- Wednesdays: World-Class
- Thursdays: Behind-the-scenes, Documentaries
- Fridays: First Runs
- Saturdays: Star-Studded Performances
What Else Is Available On FreeStream?
In addition to Broadway On Demand, Freestream offers over 400 live TV channels and more than 41,000 on-demand titles completely for free. While signing up for an account unlocks personalized features, Freestream is, as its name says, completely free and does not require a paid Sling account to watch any of the available content.
