Comedy Central is giving Trevor Noah the biggest platform possible when he makes his Daily Show hosting debut on Monday: Parent company Viacom will simulcast his first episode across all its major networks. The show will air simultaneously on Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Spike, BET, Nick at Nite, MTV2, CMT, TV Land, Centric, Logo, MTVU and VH1 Classic, among others. The Daily Show’s national ads will remain the same across the simulcast. (Adweek)
The promotional maneuver shows Viacom putting its content bandwidth behind one of its flagship programs. The company recently employed a similar technique to broadcast its most recent edition of the MTV Video Music Awards. (Variety)
Noah plans to create an iteration of the Daily Show, which looks past political partisanship to create a “progressive” program that skewers figures on either sides of the political divide. Speaking at a press breakfast to launch the new Daily Show, which starts on Monday, the South African comedian said he would use his position as an outsider in the U.S. to look at some of the more bizarre elements of the country’s political system without preconceptions. (The Guardian)
Noah’s guest list for his first week on air might illustrate his efforts. Comedian Kevin Hart will visit, but the roster also includes New Jersey Governor and Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie and musician Ryan Adams. Viewers of Noah’s Daily Show will likely see more musical guests under his aegis than Stewart’s, an effort to end the week in a fun way. (Variety)