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R350 to attend Steve Hofmeyr's Roast

Cape Town – In a highly unusual and unprecedented move, Comedy Central (DStv 122) and Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) will demand TV audience members pay an exorbitant R350 per ticket to attend the recording of the TV channel's Steve Hofmeyr Roast.

Tickets for the Comedy Central Roast of Steve Hofmeyr will go on sale from Monday 23 July, but where TV shows and producers are usually grateful that people are willing to attend and sit as audience members, Comedy Central and VIMN Africa appear to want to make money off of the in-studio audience.

Tickets will cost R350 per person and Comedy Central has not explained why people will have to cough up such an exorbitant amount for what is a made-for-television event.

Similar to TV productions which don't charge reality TV contestants money to enter and models and actors who don't pay for casting calls, members of a TV studio audience for a TV production are not asked to pay – or pay very little.

The Comedy Central Roast of Steve Hofmeyr will be recorded on 11 September in Johannesburg and be broadcast on 24 September on the channel.

Idols on M-Net, the most high-profile TV show in South Africa making use of a TV studio audience and filmed locally, only charges R20 to R40 per person as an entry fee. The production time of the show lasts one to one and a half hours. Audience members are able to win prizes and hand-out merchandise tied to the show.

Most other TV shows utilising a live TV studio audience don't charge people to attend, actually give tickets away for free, and lure audience members with incentives like free food and the opportunity to meet presenters.

Supply and demand

Comedy Central said the premium price is "a simple reflection of the well-known laws of supply and demand".

"The Comedy Central Roast of Steve Hofmeyr is a first for South Africa and a much-anticipated live comedy event and TV show that builds on the heritage of Comedy Central Roasts from the USA," Alison Reid, VIMN Africa spokesperson, told Channel24.

"The Comedy Central Roast of Steve Hofmeyr is a once-off, never-to-be-repeated event and while most of the tickets to the live event will be reserved for invited guests and competition winners, Comedy Central has responded to overwhelming public demand to release a small number of tickets for sale.

"The premium price is a simple reflection of the well-known laws of supply and demand."

Lady Gaga vs Steve Hofmeyr

Reid compared the ticket price for the Comedy Central event to that of Lady Gaga's scheduled performances in SA later this year.

"The ticket price of R350 is in keeping with what consumers pay for other premium events in South Africa. Lady Gaga tour top price tickets are more than double what Comedy Central is asking for the Roast.

"If people do not want to pay the price we have set, then that is their right and we will be delighted for them to watch the show on Comedy Central on 24 September free of charge (as part of their DStv subscription)."

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