Comedy Time Explores Its Options

Comedy Time, a multiplatform comedy network that counts Netflix, Hulu and AOL among its distribution partners, said it is exploring multiple options, including a strategic investment or a possible merger.

Comedy Time, which launched in 2004 as part of Sprint TV, has tapped Bruce Eisen of Digital Advisors to help the provider vet its next move.

Eisen, a former Dish Network exec who now heads a human-curated TV recommendations service called HereIsTV, said the aim is to help Comedy Time gain additional resources to help the independent provider promote further growth and take the business to the  “next level”  

Comedy Time, which has never taken outside investment and has sustained itself on revenues , is profitable, he said.

“The goal is to find the best partnership…there’s something special here,” Eisen said.

Comedy Time, which has a library of about 1,000 hours of comedy videos, including stand-ups and content from more than 2,500 comedic talents, including Chelsea Handler, Whitney Cummings, Lisa Lamanelli, Saturday Night Live’s Pete Davidson, and Anjeleah Johnson, who, the company said, broke out of Comedy Time’s YouTube Channel.

Comedy Time’s current distribution partners include AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, Hulu, CBS, Dish Network, Rogers  Communications, Sony Crackle, Vessel, Samsung, Netflix and Amazon, among others.  The service was founded in the first quarter of 2004, and launched in July 2004.

“We slice and dice our library a lot of different ways,” David Goldman, founder and CEO of Comedy Time, said. “I consider it an honor to be the farm team for Comedy Central and others looking for the comedy stars of tomorrow,” he added, in a prepared statement.