BuzzFeed to Live-Stream 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' on Facebook (Exclusive)

The comedy classic will be free on Facebook through a deal between BuzzFeed and NBCUniversal comedy service Seeso.

Monty Python is coming to Facebook.

BuzzFeed plans to live-stream the British comedy troupe's classic film Monty Python and the Holy Grail on Facebook on Dec. 8.

The King Arthur farce, which has been remastered for HD, will be free on the social network through a deal between BuzzFeed and Seeso, the comedy-focused subscription service from NBCUniversal that streams episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus.

"Movies are a vital part of pop culture but are often presented in ways that aren't optimized for human connection," says BuzzFeed Motion Pictures head of development Matthew Henick. "It's so exciting to stream a classic movie like Holy Grail, which has so many jokes and scenes that have become part of everyday conversation and internet culture through memes."

Last month, NBCUniversal announced that it has invested an additional $200 million in BuzzFeed following its initial $200 million investment in 2015. The Seeso deal follows other partnerships between the companies, including the creation of Rio Olympics content for Snapchat over the summer.

Holy Grail will begin streaming on Facebook on Thursday, Dec. 8, at 4 p.m. PT via the BuzzFeed Facebook page. Monty Python members including John Cleese will offer live commentary throughout the screening.

The deal serves as a marketing opportunity for Seeso, which launched in January to provide original comedy and licensed material for $4 a month. BuzzFeed, which has been an early adopter of Facebook's live-streaming technology, has more than 8.8 million likes for its Facebook page.

"We have the entire Python canon on Seeso — including the entire Flying Circus, remastered into HD for the first time in human history," says Evan Shapiro, executive vp digital enterprises at NBCUniversal. "The combined reach of BuzzFeed and Facebook helps us tell that story to a wide array of human internet users faster than we could ever do on our own."

BuzzFeed and Seeso are among a handful of media companies to use Facebook Live to broadcast existing entertainment content. ABC, for example, aired the premiere episode of Speechless on Facebook ahead of its television debut.

Seeso owns the streaming rights to a number of Monty Python projects, including Holy Grail, Flying Circus and other films.

Dec. 9, 9:50 a.m. Updated to correct which Monty Python members gave live commentary on the broadcast.