AEG to televise Coachella, Stagecoach, more festivals on AXS TV next year

No need to brave the sweltering heat, long lines for Porta-Potties and overpriced food during next summer’s concert season. Anschutz Entertainment Group, one of the nation’s leading concert promoters, will bring more than 70 hours of live performances from its festivals to the comfort of your air-conditioned living room.

AEG announced on Tuesday that it will broadcast five of its music festivals on AXS TV, the cable channel it owns a stake in.

Leading the network’s slate of festival programming are Coachella, Stagecoach and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which have all previously aired on AXS. Like it did earlier this year, the network will broadcast from the second weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, set for April 17 to 19 in Indio.

Following Coachella, AXS will broadcast the Stagecoach Country Music Festival, which also takes place at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.

In May the network will show two festivals: the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, featuring acts across roots, rock, R&B and jazz (May 1-3), and the Rock on the Range Music Festival, anchored in Columbus, Ohio, which will be making its network debut (May 15-17).

Also airing for the first time is the Firefly Music Festival (June 19-21). Goldenvoice, the AEG division that is the promoter of Coachella, recently entered into a joint venture with Firefly’s creators Red Frog Events to produce next year’s event.

The 2-year-old, four-day festival is held at the Woodlands at Dover International Speedway in Delaware. Outkast, Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson, Beck and Weezer were among this year’s performers.

“AXS TV is committed to delivering the best in live music, and we’re proud to continue that legacy with this groundbreaking lineup,” said AXS TV founder Mark Cuban in a statement. “Nothing compares to a live music event, and now our audience will get a front-row seat to five incredible festivals, as we bring the ultimate concert experience to our viewers.”

Mercury Insurance will sponsor the broadcasts, as well as a series of documentaries about the festivals produced by the network.

The four half-hour-long episodes will offer behind-the-scenes glimpses of the productions and include segments on fans, bands and staffers.

“Road to the Festivals,” premieres in March and will lead up to the launch of the network’s broadcast of Coachella.

AXS TV, which was launched in 2012, is reportedly negotiating for broadcasting rights to festivals in which AEG has no ownership stake.

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