PRESS RELEASE
SBS has launched a new online comedy destination, SBS Comedy (www.sbs.com.au/comedy), which will feature a variety of comedy content and serve as a launching ground for new Australian comedy and comics alike.
SBS Comedy will include a mix of articles, comedy show info, reviews and videos, including comedy shorts commissioned specifically for the site. The site will feature content from a number of established comedy names, including Mikey Robbins, Greg Fleet and Paul Verhoeven, as well as showcasing local up-and-comers. SBS Comedy will also curate some of the best comedy content from around the world.
As part of SBS Comedy, SBS will launch the Comedy Runway, which will fund and assist in the creation of a new comedy web pilot from Australia’s best emerging talent every month. Selected groups will be awarded $20,000 each to create a web pilot five minutes in length with at least one pilot planned to be selected from the initial batch for the development and production of a full five episode web series. Comedy Runway is a national initiative with funding in partnership with the state screening agencies for the pilots: ScreenWest, Screen Tasmania, the South Australian Film Corporation, ScreenNSW and Film Victoria.
Marshall Heald, Chief Digital Officer SBS said: “SBS Comedy is another innovative multi-platform offering from SBS. It will promote emerging and mainstream comics and help shape the comedy landscape in Australia. Comedy Runway in particular creates a potential pathway to television for up-and-coming comics, and allows SBS to surface the next generation of Australian comedy.”
SBS Comedy is now live at www.sbs.com.au/comedy. Applications for Comedy Runway close on 30th April 2014 with the first pilot scheduled to go live on the site on 31 July 2014.