"Saturday Night Live" rehearsals may be webcast

By Andrew Wallenstein

David...

"Mad TV" kinda did that already. They once had a webcam set up on their
main stage. I don't think they ever publicized it, it's just something
I stumbled on jumping around FOX's website years ago.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - NBC is mulling broadcasting Friday
night rehearsal sessions of "Saturday Night Live" on the Internet.

It's just one of the many scenarios the digital future could deliver,
according to NBC Universal chief digital officer George Kliavkoff, who
openly mused about the possibilities Wednesday at the Digital
Entertainment Media & Marketing Excellence conference at the Hyatt
Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

"Sometimes it's a lot more interesting than the show," Kliavkoff joked,
referring to the closed-circuit footage of "SNL's" Friday dry runs
viewed at NBC headquarters. "It's something we watch on the cameras at
30 Rock."

Opening the window to "SNL" rehearsals might represent a case of art
imitating art imitating art yet again at NBC, which already has mined
behind-the-scenes happenings at the sketch comedy franchise as comic
catnip for the Tina Fey half-hour series "30 Rock" and dramatic grist
for Aaron Sorkin's drama "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip."

Kliavkoff, who has been overseeing NBC Universal's digital efforts
since coming over three months ago from a similar post at Major League
Baseball, was participating in a panel discussion on digital media when
he presented the "SNL" idea as one of a growing list of original
content ideas bubbling up at the company's digital studios.

Much of the panel's discussion centered on whether the emergence of
user-generated content will become an art form unto itself or just a
way for establishment media to skim the cream of the crop. "We see the
Internet as our new A&R," Kliavkoff said, referring to the music
industry term for talent scouting. "We're out there scouting. The good
stuff bubbles up to the top."

Steven Starr, founder and CEO of viral-video outlet Revver, begged to
differ. "From our point of view, we see creators develop with no
intention of going offline," he said. "(Internet actress) Lonelygirl15
is making a substantial amount of money on a weekly basis just by being
online."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter