It isn't easy being funny. It is even harder being funny within the confines of the 140-character-limit of a tweet. Not since the late 1960s has the art of the one-liner punchline been prevalant in the comedy world. In a new partnership with Twitter, Comedy Central will put the brevity of comedians around the globe to test. The festival will also showcase comedians' best attempts at showcasing the new Vine app. Though comedians and entertainers on Twitter have long used the medium to test out jokes or to post video content, this will be the first coordinated integration of the medium.
According to Comedy Central, the festival will launch on Monday and use the hashtag #ComedyFest. The festival will informally launch with a streaming discussion held in Los Angeles The Monday night event will feature a conversation between comedy legends Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner, hosted by director Judd Apatow.
The partnership between Comedy Central and Twitter is another example of the growing integration between television and online media. Comedy Central is currently headlined by television shows "The Daily Show" and "South Park." By integrating its content with Twitter, the network hopes to further its brand. The festival will also serve as the launch pad for a new app to be introduced in early May. CC:Stand Up, will allow users to watch old and new material from their favorite comedians, while also searching for new comics.
By relying on the participation of more established entertainers, Comedy Central hopes that users will be able to connect to artists they may have been previously unaware of. As streaming sites such as Netflix continue to takes users away from their television screens, the idea is to bring them back by re-connecting via social media.
