Comet Launches First Annual Fandom Experience: “Comet Fest” Debuts June 16-18

Network Kicks Off First Multi-Platform Multi-Day TV Event with a Salute to Star Trek

The three-day “Comet Fest ‘23” also Features an Exclusive Interview with William Shatner, and a Docuseries Directed by the Iconic Actor

BALTIMORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- COMET, the top free TV destination for fans of sci-fi and fantasy entertainment franchises, today announced the launch of Comet Fest, the network’s first annual multi-platform fan festival.

From June 16-18 Comet Fest ‘23 will celebrate Star Trek. Originally launched in 1966, Star Trek is widely regarded as one of the biggest sci-fi franchises in history with the iconic characters Captain Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov and many more, beloved by fans around the world.

The three-day long Comet Fest ‘23 features a stellar line-up of movies, television series, digital fan experiences as well as an exclusive one-on-one interview with Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner. The full line-up includes:

• The Comet network premieres of the first four blockbuster Star Trek films:
  • Day 1 (Friday June 16^th) of Comet Fest ‘23 will kick things off with back-to-back telecasts of Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in prime time starting at 7pm ET.
  • Day 2 (Saturday June 17^th) will feature Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in prime time starting at 6:30 pm ET.
  • Day 3 (Sunday June 18^th) will feature all four movies starting at 11am ET followed immediately by a special prime time preview of new series Grimm at 9:30pm ET, which then makes its regular time period (12am ET) premiere the following day.
• The William Shatner Conversation, an exclusive one-on-one interview with William Shatner is being conducted specifically for Comet Fest ‘23. The multi-part interview covers Mr. Shatner’s unique insights on his life, including landing the role of Kirk, the Star Trek fandom phenomenon, his friendship with co-star and longtime friend Leonard Nimoy, going to space at the age of 90, his upcoming documentary Just Call Me Bill and the actor’s lifelong effort to protect the environment. The interview was conducted by Matthew Hoffman, special correspondent for Extra and the official voice, narrator and co-writer of the pop culture hit series Love Island USA. Los Angeles-based agency Something Massive produced the interview. Fans will be able to see excerpts from the interview all weekend long during commercial breaks and watch it in its entirety on CometTV.com/CometFest.
• The Captain’s Closeup, a five-episode docuseries directed and hosted by William Shatner, features one-on-one interviews with the most famous Star Trek series captains including Sir Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Bakula and Chris Pine. A must watch for Trekkies, the series will air following Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn on Day 1 as well as immediately prior to the feature film telecasts on Day 2 and Day 3 of Comet Fest ‘23.

Comet Fest ‘23 will also feature an array of digital content experiences on the network’s website and social feeds, including:

• Live streaming of the entire three-day Comet Fest ‘23 lineup on Comet’s website and connected TV apps.
• Comet Fest ‘23 sci-fi fan Cosplay contest with the winner featured on Comet’s website and social feeds.
• Comet Fest ‘23 sweepstakes and Star Trek trivia games engaging fans throughout the month of June.

“Star Trek is huge! Some 13 feature films and 11 television series later, fans continue to search out and explore everything Trek,” said Adam Ware, SVP Growth Networks Group. “Broadcasting and streaming the first four movies, the five-episode docuseries, and a special one-on-one interview with the legendary William Shatner is the perfect way to launch Comet’s first annual fandom experience.”

More details on the first annual Comet Fest celebrations can be found at https://comettv.com/CometFest/.

About Sinclair:
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) is a diversified media company and a leading provider of local news and sports. The Company owns, operates and/or provides services to 185 television stations in 86 markets affiliated with all the major broadcast networks; owns Tennis Channel and multicast networks Comet, CHARGE! and TBD; and owns and provides services to 21 regional sports network brands. Sinclair’s content is delivered via multiple platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors, and the nation’s largest streaming aggregator of local news content, NewsON. The Company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.

Category: General

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230531005913/en/

Media Contact:

Jessica Bellucci – jbellucci-c@sbgtv.com

Source: Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.