Why Jerry Seinfeld and other comedians are spreading laughter online
By
Melissa Jun Rowley
/ CBS News
Jerry Seinfeld talks to CBS' "Sunday Morning"
CBS
(CBS/What's Trending) - Humanity's need for escapism coupled with our digitally-induced ADHD has made the Internet a haven for comedy. This week, Jerry Seinfeld and the Internet radio service Pandora have joined South Park Digital Studios and Sirus XM in making mini digital clips available to audiences seeking a quick chuckle.
According to the latest PEW Internet survey, comedy viewership online was the fastest growing sector. By 2009, 50 percent of adults had viewed a comedy video online. An overwhelming 93 percent of the 18 to 29 demographic questioned said they liked watching humorous entertainment online.
And, comedians are enuring that the chuckles will keep going on the web.
Ever since Will Ferrell's and Adam McKay's online comedy destination FunnyOrDie.com took over the interwebs, the demand for snippets of laughter has soared. Today, Seinfeld launched JerrySeinfeld.com, an online destination showcasing nearly every standup performance the iconic comedian has ever given. The buzz kicked off yesterday when he posted his first national TV performance on YouTube.
Each day the new site will feature three of Seinfeld's standup comedy clips, which range from 30 seconds to two minutes long. In honor of this weekend's Kentucky Derby, Seinfeld posted the clip "Do the Horses Know They're Racing?" with two other featured videos.
Meanwhile, Pandora is putting comedy in the palm of our hands with the launch of new online comedy channels that are available wherever there's a Pandora app. The service has added 10,000 comedy clips from over 700 comedians to its musical smorgasbord.
Pandora isn't the only musical media empire crossing over to comedy. Rapper 50 Cent recently launched the beta version of Thisis50Comedy.com, where he livestreamed the debut of his new project "ThisIs50 Comedy Show" on April 26. The show features new and established comedians, as well as 50 and his long-time partner in crime Young Jack Thriller. Only time will tell if people will tune into 50's stream. Either way, the rise of online comedy is showing no signs of slowing down.
