About a year ago, Lionsgate announced that it sought to appeal to the “nerdy crowd”, beginning with the formation of a subscription streaming service catering strictly to Comic-Con’s fan base (The Verge). It looks as though the company is now reaching out to another targeted demographic, with the recent announcement of its partnership with Kevin Hart and Hartbeat Digital. As reported by Variety, the companies will launch a video-on-demand service called ‘Laugh Out Loud’ in the fall.
The service will operate twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and it will be the only place for video content created by the comedian. A few original series starring Hart are already in the works, including a series in which he stars as an undercover Lyft driver. Hart made this statement about his deal:
“Lionsgate has always been a great partner of mine, and I’m more than excited to take our business and creative relationship to new levels. I understand the direction in which the television business is headed, and I see this big new space toward which audiences are starting to gravitate. I believe that launching this venture together now puts us ahead of the pack.”
Not only will LOL showcase established comedians, but it will also feature social media celebrities, such as Logan Paul, along with newer comedians.
Jeff Clanagan, Codeblack CEO and Hart’s business partner of seven years, has been named president of Laugh Out Loud and president of Hartbeat Digital. According to him, the idea of forming a digital streaming partnership with Lionsgate has been in discussion for several months, in order to provide more leverage to Hart’s career as a stand-up comedy performer:
“Kevin has a worldwide appeal that transcends cultures, particularly in the 18-to-30-year-old demographic, and they all have smartphones so it makes sense for us to provide them with more comedy content.”
The deal between Hart and Lionsgate was negotiated by Stephen Barnes of Barnes Morris Klein & Yorn for Hart and by Laura Kennedy and Audrey Lee for Lionsgate.
