New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA – April 27, 2018 – AMC Networks, which owns a collection of well-‐defined, national television networks including leading comedy network IFC, today announced it has acquired a majority ownership stake in Levity Live, a leading player in live comedy with an extensive network of premium comedy venues in the U.S., including the recently-‐acquired legendary comedy brand The Improv. The company also operates a talent management arm and has a proven track record in television production, including prime-‐time specials with some of the biggest names in comedy, including Trevor Noah, Tracy Morgan, Margaret Cho, Sebastian Maniscalco and Gad Elmaleh.
The partnership is an opportunity to bring together IFC’s smart, alternative comedy brand and Levity’s large network of venues to create a multi-‐dimensional and fan-‐focused experiential comedy platform that can encompass live and televised comedy, digital extensions, and the development of new content formats, talent and IP. The move follows a recent strategic investment by AMC Networks in Funny or Die, a premiere entertainment brand and production studio that creates award-‐winning comedy and reaches a global audience of over 60 million people.
“In an era of continuing disruption to old models, IFC now has format, IP ownership and talent opportunities that are best-‐in-‐class across live, digital and linear TV,” said Jennifer Caserta, president of IFC. “Just as our recent investment in Funny or Die allowed IFC to expand in the digital comedy space and explore new forms of content creation, this partnership with Levity Live connects our leading comedy brand with live venues across the country, opening up a world of new fan-‐focused and experiential opportunities as well as enhancing our ability to identify and cultivate emerging talent. Through this strategic partnership, we can further bring the IFC brand to life by forging direct, real-‐world connections with fans across TV, digital and now, live events.”
“IFC’s strong comedy brand is a great partner for us,” said Levity Live CEO Alireza
Ghaemian. “Levity’s growing universe of live entertainment venues, and our ability to identify the next generation of emerging comics and develop original content for multiple platforms complements IFC perfectly and we’re excited to explore new opportunities and continue to deliver a premium comedy experience.”
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
About IFC
IFC is the home of offbeat, unexpected comedies. Series Brockmire, Stan Against Evil, Baroness von Sketch Show and Documentary Now! air alongside fan-‐favorite movies and comedic cult TV shows. IFC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc., and available across multiple platforms. IFC is Always On, Slightly Off.
About Levity Live
Levity Live is a vertically integrated media company that owns and operates entertainment venues nationwide including the iconic Improv. With international reach and unparalleled expertise, Levity Live serves talents, consumers and major brands as well as identifies, develops, finances and produces original content targeted for all distribution platforms. Located in Los Angeles, the company was established in 2006. For more information, please visit www.levitylive.com.