David Farnor | On 18, Jul 2018

Netflix is teaming up with SiriusXM to bring its stand-up comedy content to the radio.

The streaming giant has been spending heavily on stand-up comedy in recent years, as it looks to capitalise on a format that not only entertains but can be enjoyed by international audiences, faces less competition from other online platforms, and is relatively inexpensive to produce. The spending figures have nevertheless been impressive, with million-dollar deals signed with comics such as Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle, while other big names including Ricky Gervais, Amy Schumer, John Mulaney, Jimmy Carr, Jerry Seinfeld, Bo Burnham, James Acaster, Sarah Silverman, Maria Bamford and Jim Jefferies.

Now, you can expect to hear those comics as well as watch them, as the video streaming company gets into the audio streaming game. Indeed, this is the first time Netflix will bring its content to an audio service, with the VOD player launching a comedy radio channel that will be exclusive to SiriusXM.

The channel will include material from Netflix’s stand-up catalog, with Netflix’s comedy talk shows, such as the interview series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, also expected to be broadcast in some form on-air. Netflix will produce or release “additional original programming” on the radio platform, although details of what that might entail have not yet been announced.

In an age where podcasts are as popular as binge-watching, though, Netflix’s partnership could well establish its dominance in your ears as well as your eyeballs.

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