Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Netflix lands exclusive streaming rights to Aziz Ansari comedy special

Mike Flacy
By
aziz-ansari

Taking another page out of the HBO playbook, Netflix has signed a deal to bring Aziz Ansari’s “Buried Alive” comedy special to the streaming video service first. As detailed by the New York Times, Netflix is taking a stronger position in the comedy world with the recent Netflix-exclusive comedy specials from John Hodgman, Brian Posehn and Mike Birbiglia. In addition to the November release of Ansari’s special, Netflix is also working with comics Marc Maron and Kathleen Madigan to bring two more comedy specials to Netflix Instant. 

Buried Alive Aziz AnsariAziz Ansari certainly isn’t a stranger to digital distribution as a platform for video delivery. Last year, Ansari put his comedy special “Dangerously Delicious” on his personal website and charged users $5 to download a DRM-free copy of his comedy special. Ansari was basically following the lead of comics Louis C.K. and Jim Gaffigan in that regard.

Related Videos

Ansari does plan to release “Buried Alive” for the same $5 download fee, but only after Netflix has had a chance to debut the comedy special on the Netflix Instant service. Netflix also plans to spend money on a promotional campaign to go along with the comedy special, likely similar to the advertising campaign that promoted the fourth season of Arrested Development.

Recounting an interaction with a fan on Twitter, Ansari told the New York Times the fan asked “When are you going to put out another stand-up special on Netflix? I need more free stand-up.” Ansari commented “It’s so convenient, you don’t even think about the fact that you’re paying for it.” Ansari also mentioned that his own comedy specials are recommended to himself on his personal Netflix account all the time.

Commenting on the shift to invest in comedy in addition to dramatic shows like Kevin Spacey’s House of Cards, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos said “We’ve been working to make Netflix a great home for comedians to do their best work and to support their live performance careers, and having Aziz debut his new show with us is a validation of that strategy.” According to the Times, the deal between Sarandos and Ansari came to fruition after the two met at an event in New York and Sarandos commented on the popularity of Ansari’s specials on Netflix Instant.

netflix-ps3-screen

Comedy specials are likely less complicated and cheaper for Netflix to purchase or create than original shows. In addition, it provides a stream of new, exclusive content to viewers that encourages subscribers to continue paying for Netflix Instant each month. Aziz Ansari’s special is expected to launch on Netflix Instant on November 1, 2013.

Besides already launching original shows like House of Cards, Arrested Development, Hemlock Grove, and Orange Is the New Black this year, Netflix is also releasing the Ricky Gervais’ series Derek on September 12. Other shows in the pipeline for Netflix Instant include the second season of Lilyhammer as well as the animated original Turbo: F.A.S.T. (Fast Action Stunt Team) from Dreamworks Animation. During 2014, Netflix has lined up a science fiction drama from the Wachowskis called Sense8 as well as the 13th century-set drama Marco Polo after production was halted by Starz.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
The best romance movies on Netflix right now
Scott with his head on the shoulder of his girlfriend Ramona in a scene from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Romance movies have a time and a place. You might be relaxing on a Sunday, enjoying a date night, be on your own, or hanging out with friends and family. Maybe you're stuck in bed nursing a cold, or simply in the mood for a sappy love story. Whatever the case, when you're ready to watch, you want to find the perfect one. Romance movies, however, also come in all shapes and forms. Some are fairy tale-like predictable stories, others add more elements of comedy, and some are even pretty action-packed, with a healthy dose of romance thrown in for good measure.

To help you find the right fit for your mood, we have put together this collection of the best romance movies on Netflix right now. With new movies coming to Netflix all the time, there's always something fresh and exciting. Keep in mind that some of these titles, notably the non-Netflix originals, cannot be streamed if you have a Netflix Basics with Ads subscription tier. But with all other tiers, you can stream to your heart's content, and hopefully find a satisfying happy ending.

Read more
The best kids movies on Netflix right now
Rango on Amazon Prime

Winter is on its way out, but Spring hasn't quite arrived yet. In many parts of the country, it's that ugly time of the year when everything is wet, muddy, and dirty. You don't really want to send the kids outside to play all the time, but you need to get them out of your hair somehow. So, how about a movie?

With Netflix's extensive collection of kids' movies, from innovative originals to classics from other studios, there's a lot to choose from. But you want to make sure your kids are watching something good and not just wasting time scrolling, so we've done that hard searching work for you. These are the best kids' movies on Netflix right now.

Read more
The best comedies on Netflix right now
The cast of Animal House.

There's still a few weeks of winter to get through, so we could all use as many laughs as we can get. Comedy abides. And the list of comedies in Netflix's library is more than enough to get you through these final doldrums! However, scrolling and scrolling for something to tickle your funny bone is sort of the opposite of tickling your funny bone.

There are just too dang many "comedies" that aren't all that funny. We have a good sense of humor, so please allow us to be the arbiter of good taste. These are the best comedies on Netflix right now.

Read more