Didn’t score tickets to SDCC this year? Weren’t able to attend because of work or other obligations? Or maybe you didn’t bother anyway because you don’t like crowds but you still want to be in the know.
No worries!
This year, SDCC may be more accessible than ever.
It seems like the powers that be are finally realizing that pretty much everyone wants a peek at what’s going on in San Diego during the biggest geek-tastic event of the year. With the controversy surrounding Hall H video leaks and 20th Century Fox pulling out of SDCC all together, it seemed like companies might start playing things closer to the chest.
But thankfully that’s not the case at all this year.
Fans at home have a number of ways to keep up with the convention. From online streaming to live broadcasts to Twitter feeds, here are the best ways to experience SDCC from the comfort of your own home!
Comic-Con HQ
All right, so, Comic-Con HQ is touting itself as the #1 go-to for SDCC coverage this year and that certainly may be true. While the streaming website is focused around the idea of making every day Comic-Con with it’s reoccurring, original programming the site’s first real big test will be how well it manages to cover SDCC 2016.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=rDaPL9tl2dA
Comic-Con HQ is already off to a pretty great start.
They’ve locked in exclusive streaming rights to this year’s Eisner Awards. This will be the first time ever that the comic book award ceremony has ever been open to the public. Not a bad start. They’ll also be broadcasting the annual Comic-Con International Masquerade.
But what everyone wants to know is what panels will they be streaming? Unfortunately, I can’t say anything for sure. Select panels will be broadcast on Comic-Con HQ though they may not be broadcast live. Whether these will be strictly Hall H panels and whether or not special video presentations aired during panels will be included remains to be seen.
In addition, Comic-Con HQ will be hosting it’s own interviews and creating it’s own unique content which it will be broadcasting for subscribers.
Oh, right. That’s something important to note. Comic-Con HQ is a subscription service. Access costs $5 month or $50 a year – and with programming available all year ’round it may be worth the price. And you’re in luck. Everyone is able to sign up for a free trial of the subscription service right now which should take you through SDCC 2016.
Honestly, if you’re looking for the best way to experience SDCC from home this is probably it. Comic-Con HQ will give you access to panels, interviews, floor coverage, and more. You can read more about our the service in one of previous SDCC Sunday posts – but you should probably just sign up for your free trial now.
SyFy Presents Live from Comic-Con
Not to be outdone, SyFy is going to be streaming live from SDCC this year, too, for the very first time with their own nightly, original program Syfy Presents Live from Comic-Con! Every night beginning at 8 PM EST they’ll be airing interviews, floor coverage, behind-the-scenes coverage, and more. It all starts Thursday, July 21st. And while the convention really runs from Wednesday evening through Sunday, Syfy will only be covering the convention Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.
Since the coverage only starts at 8:00 PM you’ve got to imagine it’ll be fairly limited. Still, they’ll probably have some pretty great interviews with the casts of their own original series if nothing else. And they’ll definitely be able to share the biggest news to come out of SDCC with you in a much more streamlined manner than other outlets might.
Plus it’s being hosted by Will Arnett!
Unfortunately, you’ll need a cable subscription to enjoy Syfy Presents Live from Comic-Con. But if you do have one I can almost guarantee you’re going to enjoy what Syfy has to offer!
Conan
Guess who is back at SDCC for another year? Conan O’Brien!
Easily one of the most enjoyable off-site events at SDCC, Conan films his episodes live from SDCC from Wednesday through Saturday the week of Comic-Con. Tickets are almost as hard to get as SDCC tickets in general are but it’s a thoroughly enjoyable experience. (Plus they give away super cute Funko pop figures so how can you pass it up?)
Conan has a pretty great line up of guests including the various DC heroes from The CW, the cast of Suicide Squad, and the cast of Game of Thrones among others. It’ll be a lot of fun and while it’s not necessarily SDCC coverage per se it’ll still be worth watching. Plus if they do the same thing they did last year you’ll have a chance to win the Conan Funko Pop! figures from home. That’s reason enough to watch in my book! You can also check out Conan 360 throughout the SDCC coverage. They’ve got some fun stuff planned for that, too.
Nerd HQ
The Nerd Machine is back again with Nerd HQ and their Conversations For A Cause Series. These are very small, intimate panels with special guests held at The New Children’s Museum in San Diego just a short walk away from the convention center. The events are ticketed and cost just $22 per ticket for attendees who are going in-person.
But good news, home viewers!
Conversations For A Cause panels are live streamed and this year they’ll be live streamed in 360 degrees! If you want to see what’s in store, you can check out the various Conversations from the last few years on the Nerd Machine YouTube channel.
Tickets for the 2016 series of Conversations are online now. Guests include Joss Whedon, the cast of USA’s Colony, the cast of Supernatural, Jai Courtney, the cast of Teen Wolf, the cast of Orphan Black, and more. Download the app now to keep up-to-date on what’s going on and watch their website and YouTube channel for more on their live coverage from SDCC!
Nerdist
If you’re a fan of the Nerdist you probably already know that they’ve got big plans for SDCC. They’re bringing back their off-site Conival program this year branded as ‘Camp Conival.’ Throughout their off-site event they will have numerous interviews and guest appearances going on at their primary main stage. While we don’t know if they’ll be live streaming anywhere, they do frequently upload highlights from their panels and interviews so fans who aren’t able to attend SDCC can still get a look at them.
Plus, they’ll be recording live episodes of the Nerdist podcast!
You can check out their full list of scheduled panels and events on their website.
We’re back! Join @Nerdist + @GeekandSundry at #SDCC next week for Camp #Conival. Details: https://t.co/kEhhYuUA8X pic.twitter.com/OGQXD34IXj
— Nerdist (@nerdist) July 13, 2016
MTV Fandom Awards
Another awesome off-site at SDCC is MTV’s Fandom Awards program. Recorded at SDCC on Thursday, July 21st and aired the following Sunday evening, the Fandom Awards give fans a chance to affect what’s going on at SDCC even though they may not be there themselves. Voting is open now for the various awards. (And if Stormpilot doesn’t win ship of the year I will be super disappointed.) Those votes are then announced to the crowd at SDCC.
The only downside to watching the MTV Fandom Awards is that you may be spoiled beforehand. Live tweeting is rampant at the Fandom Awards so if you’re not careful you may run across spoilers telling you who wins.
Other Options
Speaking of Twitter, social media is a great way to experience the show from home. While you may not be at SDCC there are tens of thousands of people who are and many of them are more than happy to bring you into the experience. We will be live tweeting panels, events, and off-sites from our twitter account as will tons of other outlets. Make sure to add us on Twitter – and then check out this handy list of who to follow at SDCC.
You should also check out the official websites and YouTube pages for Gamespot, IGN, Marvel, and other companies. Marvel live streamed their booth events last year and a lot of sites do coverage on the floor. Watch for Periscope, Facebook Live, and Twitch feeds from the convention, too!
There’s nothing quite like being at SDCC yourself. But with the various ways to keep up with what’s happening in San Diego this year, it looks like you might be able to get pretty close to the experience. Plus you get the added benefit of not having to wait in super long lines or get crammed together with other people as a good 200,000+ individuals converge on the San Diego convention center.
While we tried our best to find the best places for SDCC coverage, our list is not exhaustive.
If you can think of any other websites or blogs we left out, please let us know in the comments! We want to make sure everyone has all the resources they need to experience SDCC from home.
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