Until now, NBC has been getting all of the "live televised musical" fun with Sound of Music, Peter Pan, and The Wiz. But on Sunday night, FOX is throwing its hat into the ring with a production of Grease Live! The classic stage musical-turned-movie is being brought in a new format to FOX. After the popularity of NBC's live musicals, FOX is likely counting on creating an experience where people check out the show live, and tweet their opinions about it as they watch (or for some, maybe hate-watch) the production. However, in an age where less and less people own televisions, will the cable-less be able to sing along? How can fans stream Grease Live! online?
Grease Live! is actually a bit of a gamble for FOX, as its success or lack thereof could determine whether or not the network will attempt to bring other musicals to television, or if they'll leave that to NBC. So it makes sense that FOX would want as many people watching live as possible and is offering a live-stream of the musical online for select markets, including an exclusive online pre-show. The stream will be available on both the FOX website and its app, FOX NOW, if you login with a cable subscription. However, if you're not in one of those select markets (listed on the FOX website) or don't have a cable provider login, there still seem to be online avenues for anyone who wants to catch up on Grease Live! after it airs.
For anyone who can't access the live-stream, watching Grease Live! live may involve calling in a few favors and/or going over to someone else's house. But if that doesn't work out, FOX is going to put the program online for anyone who missed the live production. It'll be available on both FOX.com and FOX NOW the morning after its premiere — the latter being the network's streaming app featuring the latest episodes of some of its most popular programs like Empire, as well some one-off specials like Taraji and Terrence's White Hot Holidays, which is a thing that happened. So if you can't catch the production on Sunday, you'll be able to wake up early on Monday, Feb. 2 and watch Grease Live! on your phone or computer before work, as to not miss a single second of office talk about how talented Aaron Tveit is.
For anyone who enjoys all of their streaming television in one place, however, Hulu seems to be an equally reliable option for your Grease Live! online viewing needs. The streaming service already has a variety of clips and previews for Grease Live!, and it has a healthy relationship with FOX. According to the Hulu website, "Supported pay-TV subscribers are eligible to see FOX shows day-after-air for free on FOX.com and Hulu.com. Otherwise, episodes are usually available 8 days after they air on TV." This may be different for one-off projects like Grease Live!, but it looks like Hulu is committed to bringing the musical special to its streaming platform.
FOX is going out of its way to make sure as many people can catch the production as possible, whether it's for the live broadcast or the morning after. Just be careful — if you're not in one of the markets listed for online streaming of the production or don't have a cable login and you want to be absolutely sure you're going to be watching it live, you should start looking for a friend with a television you can park yourself in front of on Sunday at 7 p.m.
Image: Tommy Garcia/FOX
