The Stand Group, Cineverse Team for WITZ Podcast Network

RADIO ONLINE | Thursday, March 6, 2025

WITZ Podcast Network

On the eve of their comedy showcase at the 2025 South By Southwest (SXSW) festival, The Stand Group announced a strategic partnership with Cineverse, a leading independent entertainment studio known for its significant podcast network. This collaboration aims to enhance distribution platforms, sponsorships, and programmatic demand for new and original content through podcasts and live entertainment.

Having successfully launched the WITZ Comedy-TV FAST channel and its accompanying digital content library in 2022 with Best Ever Channels (BEC), The Stand Group is expanding its footprint into the world of podcasts. The newly formed WITZ Podcast Network will operate under the Cineverse Podcast Network umbrella, leveraging both entities' strengths to promote growth and brand development.

Barry Gordon, co-CEO of BEC, emphasized the partnership's benefits, stating, "Together we will maximize marketing, promotional, and sales initiatives for shows we bring into the network for new creators and original IP."

This venture represents a significant step into the comedy genre for Cineverse, which has previously focused on horror, true crime, and entertainment content. With comedy ranked as the most popular podcasting category in the U.S., according to Edison Research, this move is timely. The genre's popularity has surged, evidenced by a four-point increase in revenue share from 2022 to 2024 and the addition of 300 new advertisers in just the third quarter of 2023.

Cris Italia, a partner at The Stand/WITZ, reflected on the company's evolution and future aspirations: "After 20 years of building live experiences for audiences and securing our standing with some of the best comedians in the world, we are ready to step it up and continue to nurture talent both in the podcasts and independent content creation. We've always considered ourselves as an incubator for talent, and partnering with Cineverse can now bring it all to life."

The partnership will be celebrated in style at SXSW, alongside Cineverse's upcoming wide release of the crossover horror/comedy film "The Toxic Avenger," directed by Macon Blair and starring Peter Dinklage. The event will feature appearances by a host of comedians, podcast talent, musicians, and stars from the film.

Erick Opeka, President and Chief Strategy Officer of Cineverse stated, "Not only does partnering with comedy leaders like The Stand Group/WITZ make us instantly credible in a genre that has proven itself time and time again as a major force in podcasting, but it also allows us to move quickly into this space. We look forward to leveraging the WITZ Podcast Network not only to promote our content but as a valuable addition to our ad sales arsenal for other studios and brands looking to tap into the power of podcasting as an effective part of their promotional campaigns."

The Stand Group has a history of working with prominent comedians, including Dave Chappelle, Pete Davidson, and Bill Burr, enhancing its reputation as a major player in the comedy scene. With over 35 audio series, the Cineverse Podcast Network stands as a top-10 network, poised for further success with this new initiative.