Comedy Central Announces the Launch of Comedy Central Productions

Comedy Central, the #1 brand in comedy, today announced the launch of Comedy Central Productions (CCP), a new studio-production arm partnering with comedy's best writers, producers and on-screen talent to develop compelling, premium comedy content and bring it to market via distribution partners and buyers on all TV and digital platforms.

Comedy Central Productions is launching with first-look development deals in place with:

Paulilu, the production company from Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs. Aniello and Downs served as executive producers and writers on Broad City, with Downs also co-starring. They produced and wrote Sony's Rough Night film, with Downs starring and Aniello directing. For Comedy Central's Time Traveling Bong mini-series, they were executive producers and writers, with Downs starring and Aniello directing. Additionally, Aniello is an executive producer on Comedy Central's upcoming Awkwafina scripted series.

Anthony King, Tony Award-nominated writer of hit musical Beetlejuice; writer and executive producer on franchises including Silicon Valley, Search Party, and Comedy Central's upcoming Robbie.

Irony Point, the New York based production company run by Daniel Powell, who oversees development, and Alex Bach, who oversees production. The company's TV and streaming credits include the Emmy and Peabody-winning INSIDE AMY SCHUMER (Comedy Central), I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (Netflix), The Break with Michelle Wolf (Netflix), and Ugly Americans (Comedy Central). Its feature film credits include Becks, which won Best U.S. Fiction Film at the 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival, and Clara's Ghost, which was an official Sundance selection in 2018. They are in post on the upcoming feature film Scare Me, starring Aya Cash and Chris Redd.

Stuart Miller, an executive producer on the upcoming series Klepper (Comedy Central). He served as co-executive producer on THE DAILY SHOW WITH TREVOR NOAH (Comedy Central) and executive producer for The Opposition w/ Jordan Klepper (Comedy Central), Ferrell Takes the Field (HBO) and Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons (HBO).

"For years we've been successfully expanding the trustworthy Comedy Central brand beyond linear, extending to digital, social, podcasts, radio and live events. The next logical step is to establish Comedy Central Productions," said Kent Alterman, President of Comedy Central, Paramount Network and TV Land. "By leaning into our development expertise and production capabilities, and by partnering with some of the smartest and funniest talent in comedy, this is another way we can thrive. And putting more great comedy in the world couldn't hurt."

CCP is a part of Viacom's global studio strategy to leverage its leading content capabilities and iconic brands to create original programming for third party platforms. In addition to Comedy Central, studio units at Awesomeness, BET, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount TV and Viacom International Media Networks together make up an expanding business that is optimized to fill the large and growing demand for premium content.

The CCP development deals join existing development deals for the Comedy Central network with Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, Roy Wood, Jr., Jim Jefferies and Chris Distefano.

The studio production strategy allows Comedy Central to further expand its footprint beyond its thriving linear, digital, social, live events and audio properties, building on recent historic successes with those platforms. The brand features Comedy Central Radio on Sirius XM and hosts the massive Clusterfest comedy festival in San Francisco every summer. Comedy Central Digital continues to expand and deepen its engagement with fans. With its Global Podcast Network, the recent launches of the Comedy Central Originals and Stand-Up channels on YouTube, along with social-first video franchises including Mini-Mocks and The Foley Artist, Comedy Central further solidifies its standing at the leading comedy brand in digital. In 2018, Comedy Central garnered over 5 billion video views and close to 10 billion watch time minutes for its collective franchises across digital and social platforms.

Driven by strong growth from primetime originals and late-night flagship THE DAILY SHOW with Trevor Noah, Comedy Central in Q12019 recorded its best quarter since 2016 and became primetime's fastest growing Top-20 network with Adults 18-34. Comedy Central recorded 1.4 billion total social streams in the quarter, up +12% from the previous quarter and up +10% from the same quarter a year ago.

In addition to ratings success, Comedy Central receives critical acclaim from its premium scripted series, late night programming and animated series, including South Park, THE DAILY SHOW with Trevor Noah, Broad City, Drunk History, The Other Two, Corporate, The New Negroes with Baron Vaughn and Open Mike Eagle; Tosh.0; and The Jim Jefferies Show, among others.

Looking ahead, Comedy Central has a stacked slate that will feature new and returning series including: docu-series Klepper; Desi Lydic: Abroad, a one-hour special from THE DAILY SHOW WITH TREVOR NOAH correspondent; scripted comedies South Side, Awkwafina and Robbie; sketch-comedy series Alternatino with Arturo Castro; and an untitled late night talk series hosted by David Spade.

Comedy Central gives audiences access to a world of super funny, personally relatable, culturally relevant, and provocative comedy that tells the funny truths of life, every day and everywhere. From award-winning late-night, scripted and animated series to stand-up specials, short-form and sketch, Comedy Central has it all. A subsidiary of Viacom Inc., Comedy Central is available to more than 300 million households in over 150 countries across the globe.

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