As reported by Variety, 800 Pound Gorilla announced today the May 5 launch of Gorilla Comedy+, a premium, ad-free streaming service built for comedians and their fans. The platform will feature exclusive new specials alongside the full 800 Pound Gorilla catalog, over 250 titles, giving a global audience easy access to stand-up comedy anytime, anywhere.
“Gorilla Comedy+ is about giving fans the ultimate stand-up experience while providing comedians with a platform that values their work,” said Ryan Bitzer, Co-Founder of 800 Pound Gorilla Media. “We designed it to complement existing partnerships and to make it easier for fans to discover and enjoy the comedians they love.”
At launch, subscribers will have first access to Patton Oswalt’s latest special, Tea and Scotch, along with exclusive specials from Sal Vulcano, Emmy Blotnick, Pete Holmes, Jourdain Fisher, UK Comedian Nish Kumar, and more.
"We’re building Gorilla Comedy+ as a place where the comedy world can come together, which hasn't existed until now,” said Damion Greiman, Co-Founder of 800 Pound Gorilla Media. “After 10 years in the middle with a lot of comics, it’s about helping them get to fans and keep building specials, series, movies and beyond."
800 Pound Gorilla is partnering with Cineverse (Nasdaq: CNVS), an innovative entertainment technology company and studio, to power its new streaming service Gorilla Comedy+ using Cineverse’s proprietary Matchpoint® platform. Through this collaboration, Gorilla Comedy+ will leverage Matchpoint®, an automated suite of products designed to simplify and optimize the streaming video supply chain, utilizing Blueprint to build apps across multiple platforms and Dispatch for content onboarding, management, and delivery.
Ian Adkins, Head of Innovation and Co-Founder, adds “Cineverse and OTT Studio's forward thinking approach made them the ideal partners to bring this service to life. Great comedy deserves innovative technology, and we're excited to be building Gorilla Comedy+ together."
A curated library, comedian spotlights, and global reach, Gorilla Comedy+ positions 800 Pound Gorilla at the forefront of the digital comedy landscape, delivering more laughs for fans and more opportunities for the comedians who make them. Be on the lookout for specials from Ian Bagg, Whitney Cummings, David Cross, Matt Rife, Kyle Kinane, and Anjelah Johnson-Reyes.
With a combined 3.1M followers, The 800 Pound Gorilla network reaches over 20 million comedy fans a month. The company is laying the foundation for a multi-format comedy home where stand-up is just the beginning. As the platform expands into scripted, unscripted, and documentary content, 800 Pound Gorilla’s goal is to tell comedy stories in all of their forms, partnering with comics to help create what’s next, with a comedy-first approach to the artist and fan in all they do.