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Ask Playbill.com answers your (and sometimes our own) theatre-related questions. To ask a question, email [email protected]. Please specify how you would like your name displayed and please include the city in which you live.
Question: I am traveling internationally on the night the Tony Awards are being broadcast. I will be in Seoul, South Korea on Sunday, June 12. My question is, will it be broadcast in South Korea? I would really like to see the awards. Please help me in finding a way to see the show as close to "live" as possible. — Joseph J. Baez
Since, as a theatre reporter, I've always been in New York during the Tony Awards, I never gave the idea of international broadcasts much thought. But some theatre lovers are forced by their employers to travel during the sacred evening, robbing fans the experience of seeing the trophies handed out in real time.
We put the question to Shawn Purdy, a press spokesperson for the Tonys. She directed us to information that told us that, Yes, Virginia, the Tonys can be seen in countries other than the U.S. The Tony Awards have teamed with CABLEready, a leading independent distributor of television programming for media outlets the world over. CABLEready will distribute the Tony telecast to four continents and more than 45 countries. Among the countries included are Australia (Broadcast nationwide on the BIO Channel, available on Pay TV operator FOXTEL); Japan (Airing nationwide on NHK); New Zealand (Airing nationwide on the Arts Channel, available on pay-TV operator SKY); as well as the entire South American continent (available across the continent on the Film & Arts Channel, also available on cable and satellite platforms everywhere); and Armed Forced Television (available to the US Armed Forces stationed outside of the United States). The international broadcasts will not be live, however. In most cases, the broadcasts will occur within a week of the June 12 U.S. broadcast on CBS.
Unfortunately, South Korea does not seem to be among the lucky countries.
However, there is hope for our reader, if he can find an Internet connection. Fans of the Tonys across the globe may watch live coverage of Tony Awards events at TonyAwards.com. On Sunday, June 12, coverage begins at 6 PM ET, so that would be 7 AM June 13. The early bird catches the Tony broadcast.