COMEDY CENTRAL, the preeminent brand in comedy, is teaming up with the New York Comedy Festival, to produce "Comics To Watch," a live show featuring the best up-and-coming young comedians from across the country. The comedians, selected by the all-comedy network and the festival organizers, will be chosen for their unique strengths including writing, delivery to stage persona. The showcase will take place at the famed comedy venue Carolines on Broadway during the 2010 New York Comedy Festival, which runs November 3 - 7.

"Comics To Watch" will showcase a wide range of diversely talented young comedians -- the very best talent making the rounds on the national scene. Being recognized and invited to participate in this live event would be huge accomplishment for these up-and-coming performers.

"The New York Comedy Festival has long been home to some of today's biggest headliners who are at the top of their game," said JoAnn Grigioni, vice president, talent, COMEDY CENTRAL. "'Comics To Watch' was created to launch the careers of the next generation of comedians by putting them in front of industry executives and comedy fans."

"We're thrilled to be partnering with COMEDY CENTRAL on this great new addition to the festival," says Caroline Hirsch, a partner in the New York Comedy Festival and owner of Carolines on Broadway. "COMEDY CENTRAL has a long history of finding and developing the very best new comedy talent and 'Comics To Watch' will provide a unique platform for a select new group of comedians to be seen. I'm looking forward to participating in the process of identifying and developing this group of emerging comedy talent with COMEDY CENTRAL," Hirsch adds.

COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 98 million homes nationwide. COMEDY CENTRAL is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of Viacom Inc.'s (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) MTV Networks. COMEDY CENTRAL's Internet address is www.comedycentral.com. For up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs visit Press Central, COMEDY CENTRAL's press Web site, at www.comedycentral.com/press.

Now in its seventh year, The New York Comedy Festival, produced by Carolines on Broadway and United Entertainment Group in association with COMEDY CENTRAL, has featured some of the country's top comedians, including Bill Maher, Tracy Morgan, Dane Cook, Louis CK, Sarah Silverman, Artie Lange, Joel McHale, Steven Wright, Denis Leary, and Joy Behar, to name a few. In 2007, the festival launched the "Stand-Up for Heroes" event to benefit The Bob Woodruff Foundation, which has featured performances by Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais, Conan O'Brien, Regis Philbin, and Bruce Springsteen. The NYCF's internet address is www.nycomedyfestival.com.