TORONTO — HardTV, the recently launched gay entertainment news and variety program, announced it has launched to strong reviews from both consumers and the industry, with its first episode expected to exceed 100,000 views by the end of its 90-day run.
The HardTV show covers all the events and products of the gay adult industry. The monthly program is available on Squirt.org, NakedSword.com and the HardTV cable channel in Canada. Show creator Brett Drysdale remarked, “Each episode has a full 90-day window for streaming and airing on the current media platforms and we are looking to expand the distribution of the show starting with the upcoming April Episode.”
The April episode of Hardtv is set for release April 24.
The response to the show by the viewers has been very gratifying, Drysdale said.
“After the show went up we had a contest for a prize from one of our adult toy sponsors where the viewers had to facebook or tweet us with something we told them to look for on the show and the amount of people responding was amazing," he continued.
Drysdale said he has been equally encouraged by the industry's interest in the show.
“We filled our full allotment of program sponsor spots very quickly," Drysdale noted. "Our sponsors are very savvy and see the value in sponsored programming as an alternative to reaching out to banner-weary consumers who are spending more time watching video on line and less time and focus on traditional media.”
Drysdale also added that the content producers in the industry were excited about the opportunities that this kind of branded entertainment offers them as a new outlet to showcase their products.
“I was recently at the Phoenix Forum and I was approached by so many studios asking about how a project they were working on could be featured on the show,” he said.
One of the hosts of the show, porn star Eddie Stone, remarked, “The momentum of interest in the show is really building fast and ! we are excited about what we have for the viewers in our upcoming episodes.”
Stone said that he was especially excited about the next two episodes which are featuring a lot of content and segments leading up to and covering of the Grabby Awards in Chicago in May.
“I’m really excited to be partnering up on the red carpet with none other than Naked Sword’s Sister Roma, it’s going to be a blast,” Stone added.
Content producers and interested program sponsors can contact the show at brett.drysdale@xtra.ca.