Viacom's Showtime network will simultaneously stream this Sunday's premiere episode of "Barbershop" on MSN, along with its cable TV debut. The half-hour comedy show, which is based on a popular MGM
movie franchise starring rapper Ice Cube, details the goings-on of a Chicago-area barbershop. It will be streamed on MSN's video page at 10 p.m. on Sunday, and available on demand for the next eight
days. In addition to the full episode, MSN will also offer extras such as behind-the-scenes footage. As other episodes air on cable, MSN will host additional content related to them, but not the shows
themselves. Unlike pay TV channel Showtime, all streams will be available for free to MSN visitors.
-- Shankar Gupta