New York Comic Con, one of the most eagerly-awaited events for pop culture fans, is offering fans a whole new experience this year.
For the first time, some of the event's most iconic panels will be streamed live and free of charge online.
ReedPop, the parent company behind New York Comic Con (NYCC), has announced that panels from its two main stages, the Main Stage and the Empire Stage, will be accessible in real time thanks to a partnership with Paragon Creative Agency.
The latter has already facilitated the livestreaming of the Grammy Awards.
New York Comic Con will be held at the Javits Center from October 17 to 20, 2024.
Among the panels that will be broadcast live are discussions on the upcoming seasons of "Outlander," "Rick and Morty" and "The Simpsons."
Fans will be able to follow these events in real time on Popverse, ReedPop's pop culture news website, as well as on the YouTube channels and social networks of ReedPop and its media partners, including Screenrant, Collider, CBR, The Illuminerdi and Nerdist.
Once the livestreams are over, Popverse members will have access to a video library containing iconic panels and moments from past ReedPop conventions.
This initiative not only makes the event accessible to a global audience, but also extends the experience beyond the four days of the convention itself.
Quoted by Variety, ReedPop comics portfolio vice president Kristina Rogers said: "We're thrilled to be working with Paragon Creative Agency to bring NYCC's highly-anticipated programming to fans globally. This partnership allows us to uplevel our streaming experience and continue honoring our commitment to amplify fandom globally and crafting events that provide an immersive experience."
Paragon Creative Agency co-founders James Shaughnessy and Rob Talbert emphasized the importance of this collaboration: "Paragon is proud to lend our expertise to amplify the legacy of NYCC and its partner's content for the first time ever to a global audience. We have really exciting plans in store that will deliver content to fandoms worldwide through strategic media partnerships and a vast, relevant network of co-streamers, something that's never been done before for NYCC."
This initiative marks an important step in the evolution of pop culture conventions.
By making panels available live and free of charge, NYCC is making exclusive content more accessible and enabling a wider audience to participate in the event, even remotely.
This is part of a wider trend towards the digitalization of cultural events, offering an enhanced and inclusive experience for fans worldwide.