Netflix takes Comedians in Cars

Netflix has acquired the rights to Jerry Seinfeld’s Crackle web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee plus new stand-up specials.

Emmy-nominated Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee

The US SVoD service has taken all past instalments of the shortform web comedy, which debuted on Sony-owned service Crackle in 2012 and has so far run to 59 episodes. Seinfeld will also produce new content for Netflix.

The rights to the comic’s eponymous hit sitcom are held by Hulu in the US, while Amazon last week acquired them for the rest of the world.

Twenty-four new episodes of Comedians in Cars, featuring Seinfeld picking up various celebrities in a selection of classic cars and going for coffee with them, will debut on Netflix later this year, along with all past episodes.

More will follow in 2018 and after. The web series, produced by Sony-owned prodco Embassy Row, was Crackle’s most-watched programme.

Seinfeld will also film two new stand-up shows exclusively for Netflix subscribers globally, the first arriving this year. Meanwhile, the comedian will help Netflix with its scripted and non-scripted comedy as part of an as-yet undisclosed broader arrangement.

“Jerry is known the world over as both a great TV innovator and beloved comic voice. We are incredibly proud to welcome him to the Netflix comedy family,” said Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos.

“When I first started thinking about Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, the entire Netflix business model consisted of mailing out DVDs in envelopes. I love that we are now joining together, both at very different points,” said Seinfeld in a statement.

The deal is the latest in a string of investments Netflix has made in comedy over the past few years, in particular making a name for itself in stand-up with the likes of Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle and now Amy Schumer.