Streaming platforms battle for stand-up comics

The Future. Although streamers are cutting their content budgets across the board, stand-up specials are maybe the only format where budgets are going up, thanks to the fact that they’re cheap to produce, and they routinely bring in high viewership. As comedians get more options to choose from, watch for some top names to make a movie or TV deal part of the bid.

Laugh lineup
Audiences want to laugh… streamers want audiences… so streamers want comedians, according to THR.

• Netflix has ruled the market for the past decade. It’s the home for most top comedians, it runs the massive Netflix Is A Joke Fest, and it pays big money for specials ($200,000 for newer comics and up to $20 million for the likes of Dave Chappelle).
• Amazon is making a big push to catch up. Projecting a “Main Street America” vibe, it’s paid a lot to land specials from Kevin James, Jim Gaffigan, and Nate Bargatze.
• Hulu is now making a big play for comedy with the launch of its “Hulu’s Laughing Now” brand. It paid $15 million for a special from Bill Burr and won Gaffigan’s next special.
• HBO, once the home for comedy, has taken a less-is-more approach, opting to do only eight specials a year (including John Early and Nikki Glaser) that have a chance of scoring an Emmy nomination.
• Additionally, Paramount+, Peacock, YouTube, and Live Nation’s Veeps are all getting in on the action. There are also whispers that AppleTV+ is on the hunt for its first special.

So, what’s the ultimate benefit of this frothy comedy market (outside of a great payday for comedians)? Exposure that can translate into bigger tours, which is where the real money is made. Ticket sales for live comedy events brought in a whopping $909.6 million last year.

Talk about laughing all the way to the bank.