The Church Of Scientology has announced that it's to begin broadcasting its own TV channel across Apple TV, Roku, and Chromecast.
Although there's no word yet if famous Scientologists such as Elisabeth Moss, Tom Cruise and Beck - yes, Beck is a Scientologist - will turn up on the new television channel, it's clear from industry reports that the whole thing is being devised as a way to fire back against recent exposes against the controversial religion.
Leah Remini's television series, Scientology And The Aftermath, has helped to open up the inner workings to a much wider audience, whilst Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis has also begun to speak out whenever possible on the religion. Documentaries from the likes of Louis Theroux and Alex Gibney haven't helped Scientology's reputation either.
According to press packets sent to industry bibles in the US, the channel will host six original series on the channel with such titles as Meet a Scientologist, Voices for Humanity, L. Ron Hubbard: In His Own Voice. They all sound like winners, folks. You can just see people talking about them over a watercooler.
Scientology's move towards its own channel isn't anything new, of course. The National Rifle Association was the subject of a major critique by John Oliver just last week and detailed not only how crazy those types are, but just how insidious their message was and how they delivered it. Scientology has been under fire for years for its practices against its critics.
Hell, we've even received e-mails from them just for writing a review of Going Clear, Alex Gibney's documentary from a few years back. As it stands, there's no word on whether or not Scientology TV will be available through Apple TV and Chromecast here in Ireland, but given how the Church of Scientology has recently begun to try and ingratiate itself to communities here, don't be surprised if it suddenly pops up on either of them.
