COMEDY CENTRAL(R) AND THE NEW YORK COMEDY FESTIVAL EXPAND SIXTH ANNUAL "COMICS TO WATCH" EVENT ADDING A SECOND NIGHT TO SHOWCASE SKETCH COMEDY

"COMICS TO WATCH" STAND-UP SHOWCASE WILL TAKE PLACE AT CAROLINES ON BROADWAY ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10 AT 8:00 P.M. AND THE SKETCH SHOWCASE WILL TAKE PLACE AT UCB CHELSEA ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11 AT 7:30 P.M.

NEW YORK, November 5, 2015 - More talent. More formats. More shows. More platforms. Comedy Central and The New York Comedy Festival will expand this year's iteration of the annual "Comics to Watch" showcase adding a second night to the event in order to feature the best up-and-coming sketch comedy, along with the rising stars of stand-up. For the first time, Comedy Central and the NYCF will also add Snapchat and Spotify as distribution platforms to feature "Comics to Watch" content.

The Sixth Annual "Comics to Watch" stand-up showcase will take place on Tuesday, November 10 at 8:00 p.m. at Carolines on Broadway with the "Comics to Watch" sketch showcase taking place at UCB Chelsea, the foremost destination for sketch comedy, on Wednesday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m. Both "Comics to Watch" showcases are part of the 2015 New York Comedy Festival. NYCF is sponsored by Hyatt Gold Passport and Taco Bell(R).

"Comics to Watch" is an annual showcase featuring a wide range of diversely talented young comedians selected by Comedy Central and NYCF organizers who work closely together to identify the best new stand-up and, beginning this year, sketch comedians from multiple cities across the country in an effort to help launch the careers of the next generation of comedians by putting them in front of industry executives and comedy fans.

The evolution of "Comics to Watch" continues this year with the expansion of the annual showcase to two nights to feature a first ever sketch showcase, highlighting the best new sketch performers, each of whom will receive a development deal to submit a one-off sketch script to Comedy Central for development consideration. Also new this year, Comedy Central will feature comedians and content from the "Comics to Watch" showcases on its Snapchat Discover channel and will release tracks from the stand-up showcase on Spotify. Video clips from each performer will also be posted on ccstandup.com.

The November 10 "Comics to Watch" stand-up showcase will be hosted by Ricky Velez, (contributor, "The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore," 2014 Comics to Watch) and feature the following comedians: Kenny DeForest, Jo Firestone, David Gborie, Charles Gould, Sam Jay, Josh Johnson, Adam Lustick, Jacqueline Novak, Billy Prinsell, Ramon Rivas II, Randy Syphax and Jacob Williams.

On the following night (November 11), the "Comics to Watch" sketch showcase will be hosted by Conner O'Malley ("Late Night with Seth Meyers," "Louie") and feature a line-up that includes sketch groups BOAT (Amos Vernon, Mike Lane, Nunzio Randazzo), Keith + Jesse (Keith Kingbay, Jesse Neil) and Pop Roulette (Sudi Green, David Mizzoni, Matt Rogers, Amanda Shechtman, Tessa Skara, Jonathan Sokolow, Douglas Widick, Rachel Wenitsky, Bowen Yang), along with performances by Joanna Bradley, David Brown, Christine Bullen, Brett Davis, Carl Foreman Jr., Frank Garcia-Hejl, Brandon Scott Jones and Gary Richardson.

"Comics to Watch" is an important step in the development process at Comedy Central with several performers from past "CTW" showcases having gone on to make various appearances on Comedy Central including "The Half Hour" which for many of the comedians, is their first solo stand-up special and include: Ricky Velez, "The Nightly Show;" Michael Che, current "Saturday Night Live" Weekend Update co-anchor, former "Daily Show" correspondent, "The Half Hour;" former "SNL" cast member Brooks Wheelan, "The Half Hour;" Kurt Braunohler, "The Half Hour;" Andrew Santino, "The Half Hour;" Tone Bell, "The Half Hour" as well as rising stars Ali Wong, "Comedy Underground with Dave Attell;" Josh Rabinowitz, "Adam Devine's House Party;" Emily Heller, "The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail;" Kate Berlant, "The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail."

About The New York Comedy Festival

Now in its 12th year, the New York Comedy Festival is produced by Carolines on Broadway in association with Comedy Central. The festival has featured the country's top comedians, including Aziz Ansari, Hannibal Buress, Louis C.K., Larry David, Ricky Gervais, Kevin Hart, Bill Maher, John Mulaney, Tig Notaro, Nick Offerman, Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman 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 Ricky Gervais, John Mayer, John Oliver, Conan O'Brien, Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, and Robin Williams, among others. To date, the "Stand Up for Heroes" events have raised over $27 million. For more information please visit the NYCF website, like the NYCF Facebook page, and follow the NYCF on Twitter, @NYComedyFest.

About Comedy Central

Comedy Central is the home for the biggest names in stand-up including one-hour specials from top comedians Amy Schumer, Daniel Tosh, Kevin Hart, Tracy Morgan, Jim Gaffigan, Hannibal Buress, Natasha Leggero, Chris Hardwick, David Spade, Gabriel Iglesias, Patton Oswalt, Aziz Ansari, Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, and more. Comedy Central stand-up series include "Adam Devine's House Party," "The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail," "This is Not Happening" and "The Half Hour."

Available on-air, online and on-the-go via the Comedy Central App, 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).