COMEDY CENTRAL(R) ANNOUNCES THE FINALISTS FROM ITS "UP NEXT" CC: CERTIFIED TALENT SEARCH

STAND-UP COMEDIANS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY WILL PERFORM AT THE NEW YORK COMEDY FESTIVAL'S 4TH ANNUAL "COMICS TO WATCH" SHOWCASE WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6 AT CAROLINES ON BROADWAY

Winner to Receive a Performance Slot on a Comedy Central Stand-up Series and Comedy Central Live Tour, a Comedy Central Records Release, a Guest DJ Stint on Comedy Central Radio on SiriusXM, and more

Winner to be Selected by Fans via Online Voting at cc.com/upnext

Full Info About "Up Next" A CC: Certified Talent Search Available at cc.com/upnext and Tickets to "Comics to Watch" Show Available at nycomedyfestival.com

NEW YORK, November 5, 2013 - Comedy Central has identified the best new emerging stand-up talent in the country through "Up Next" A CC: Certified Talent Search via the network's Certified Clubs program with nine incredibly talented finalists to perform at the 4th annual "Comics to Watch" showcase this Wednesday, November 6 at 7:00 p.m. at the legendary Carolines on Broadway as part of the 2013 New York Comedy Festival. Hosted by Jonah Ray ("The Half Hour" and upcoming Comedy Central series The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail), "Comics to Watch" will feature comedians Tone Bell, Chris Cubas, Randy Liedtke, Nimesh Patel, Joe Pera, Ali Siddiq, Dave Thomason, Aaron Weaver and Jenny Zigrino.

"Up Next" A CC: Certified Talent Search consisted of comedians from across the country performing in preliminary local showcases hosted by 27 participating CC: Certified Clubs from September 3 through 23 with over 30 of the most-promising new stand-up comedians in America selected to move on to four regional, semi-final showcases from October 9-23 in Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Ft. Lauderdale. Now down to nine finalists, the remaining comedians will perform at The New York Comedy Festival's annual "Comics to Watch" showcase on Wednesday, November 6 at Carolines on Broadway.

The "Comics to Watch" performances will be filmed by Comedy Central and turned into an über digital feature for stand-up fans to watch on cc.com/upnext starting on Monday, November 11. The "Comics to Watch" digital experience will encompass performances from Jonah Ray and all the participating comedians as well as additional video clips. Fans will be able to cast their votes for the best "Comics to Watch" performance through November 14 with the "Up Next Fan's Pick" winner announced on-air on Comedy Central, Comedy Central Radio on SiriusXM (channel 95) and cc.com/upnext on Sunday, November 17.

The Grand Prize winner, as determined by fans, will receive an appearance on a future Comedy Central stand-up series, a performance slot in an upcoming Comedy Central Live college tour, a Comedy Central Records digital release, placement on the CC:Stand-Up site and CC: Stand-Up App, a stint as a guest DJ on Comedy Central Radio (SiriusXM channel 95), and $2500 cash.

In addition to the "Comics to Watch" digital experience on cc.com/upnext, Comedy Central Radio on SiriusXM will air the "Comics to Watch" show on Monday, November 11 and Jonah Ray will host a special week of "The Comedy Central Drive Home" featuring special guests Dan St. Germain, Myq Kaplan, Jared Logan, Sheng Wang, and the "Comics to Watch" finalists encouraging listeners to cast their votes for the "Up Next Fan's Pick."

"Comics to Watch" is a show held annually by Comedy Central and The New York Comedy Festival at Caroline's on Broadway which features a wide range of diversely talented young comedians. It was created to launch the careers of the next generation of comedians by putting them in front of industry executives and comedy fans. Comedians from past "Comics to Watch" shows such as Brooks Wheelan, Michael Che, Chris Distefano, Emily Heller, Ben Kronberg, Kurt Braunohler, and Sara Schaefer have gone on to making stand-up appearances on Comedy Central shows including "The Half Hour," "Adam Devine's House Party" and more.

In 2013, Comedy Central launched the "Comedy Central Certified Club" program which provides participating comedy clubs with the #1 brand in comedy's certification and seal of approval, as well as many additional promotional initiatives. Through the exclusive initiative, the venues receive valuable, national promotion via Comedy Central's linear and digital platforms, including the ability to offer "certified" live, stand-up shows and other Comedy Central-branded opportunities. Among the benefits, each participating club is promoted by Comedy Central via an ongoing series of programming stunts, commercials, national sweepstakes and included on comedycentral.com's dedicated "Live Touring" section, which incorporates show listings with direct ticket-purchase links for the venues.

Now in its tenth year, The New York Comedy Festival is produced by Caroline's on Broadway in association with Comedy Central. The festival has featured the country's top comedians, including Louis C.K., Bill Maher, Ricky Gervais, Dane Cook, Kevin Hart, Sarah Silverman, Aziz Ansari, and Wanda Sykes, to name a few. In 2007, the festival launched the "Stand-Up for Heroes" event to benefit The Bob Woodruff Foundation, which has featured performances by Robin Williams, Jon Stewart, Jerry Seinfeld, Lewis Black, Ricky Gervais, Conan O'Brien, Bruce Springsteen, John Mayer and Roger Waters.

Available on-air, online and on-the-go, Comedy Central (www.cc.com) is the #1 brand in comedy and is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA and VIAB).