In a letter to shareholders, streaming giant Netflix announced that comedian Dave Chappelle’s lauded comedy special was its “most viewed comedy special ever.”
The entertainment platform is notoriously reclusive about sharing data, but Tuesday’s reveal shows that a major gamble is paying off.
Dave Chappelle’s dual standup specials just became Netflix’s most-watched comedy specials ever: https://t.co/FKvxu3AAtL pic.twitter.com/MxRaVxb5a0
— ScreenCrush (@screencrushnews) April 18, 2017
“We have also stepped up our investment in stand up comedy which we believe can help grow our business, like our original series,” reads the letter, clearly showing the company is stepping on the gas, for new, original work. The streaming service plans to release a new comedy special every week in 2017.
Netflix's strategy in a nutshell: Who needs the NFL, we've got Dave Chappelle!https://t.co/Mv02jHOQwl pic.twitter.com/PcGiXoehJo
— San Diego Union-Tribune (@sdut) April 18, 2017
The acclaimed specials—Deep in the Heart of Texas and The Age of Spin—featured a prime Chappelle at his edgiest, but drew criticism for his jokes about Bill Cosby, the transgender community, and more broadly, women.
Dave Chappelle mentions Marcos @ChinoMaidana and @FloydMayweather in his Netflix special #boxing pic.twitter.com/beWc1fMXby
— Ryan Songalia (@ryansongalia) April 7, 2017
The comedian was reportedly paid an unconfirmed $60 million for the two specials, plus one to be released later this year. But given the claim by Netflix, that’s a relative bargain.