For each Comedy Special, we calculate a Popularity Score, taking into account the total number of views and the length of time the title has been available to viewers in the relevant country. It is expressed as a number between 0 and 100, with the most successful Special in that country receiving a score of 100. Therefore, a Special with a score of 50 is half as popular as the top title. You can read a full breakdown of how we calculate these scores here.
Stand-up comedy fans in the UK no longer have to wait for the Edinburgh Fringe to get their giggles. Now they can simply flick on the box for their comedy fix. Brits pride themselves on their sense of humour, but just who was tickling the funny bones of the nation? Were they watching favourites from popular TV shows like Mock the Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, and Never Mind The Buzzcocks, or having a chuckle at international comics?
Who’s tickling the Brits?
The most-watched stand-up comedian on Netflix during our study period was American comedian Dave Chappelle. Netflix has made multi-million dollar deals with many comedians in recent years, one of whom is Chappelle himself, who raked in $60 million for three specials in 2016, according to The New York Post. He’s now released five Netflix specials, reported to pull in $20 million apiece.
Only two of the top 20 comedians in the study were female – Iliza Shlesinger (14th most-watched), and Ali Wong (18th), both of whom are American. The lack of female representation in this data might be unsurprising to many, considering the well-documented comedy gender gap, often discussed by comedians like Deborah Frances-White.
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