As we enter an era where Facebook video is slowly closing in on YouTube views, Amazon Studios is no doubt sniffing the winds of change. The pilot for its new comedy, Catastrophe, will debut on Amazon’s Facebook page on June 15, for 48 hours.
Catastrophe—which stars Twitter favorite Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan (Pulling) as two people who collide for a weeklong fling and then try to make a relationship work after she gets pregnant—isn’t part of Amazon Prime’s traditional pilot structure. It was picked up through a licensing deal with the U.K.’s Channel 4. In the past, viewers could watch Amazon’s new slate of pilots and leave feedback, and Amazon Prime subscribers got access to all the green-lit series, the most successful of which has, so far, been Transparent. In putting Catastrophe on Facebook for free, Amazon could rope in some non-subscribers. The pairing of Horgan and Delaney is certainly a good incentive.
The streaming starts at 4pm PT on June 15. The show debuts in full on Amazon June 19.
H/T Hollywood Reporter | Screengrab via Amazon Studios/YouTube