Comedy show performers "set the stage on fire", and comedy variety shows "ignite the market".

With the successful conclusion of the second season of King of Comedy: Stand-up Season (hereinafter referred to as Stand-up King 2), a group of "little people" have finally stepped out of their inner comfort zones:

Zhai Jianing woke up those who were caught in self - consumption with a single sentence: the highest realm of idealism is self - centeredness; Aunt Fang proved with her own experience that one can restart their life even at the age of 50; Xi Ha directly revealed her identity: "the last female knight of the 21st century" is actually a (former) flight attendant.

The performers took turns on stage under the spotlight, holding microphones and sharing absurd, real, pungent and sincere stories, charging the audience's emotions round after round.

A 5 - minute performance can bring joy for the whole summer. Perhaps this is the power of comedy.

As stand - up comedy stands out among various "emotional companions", the "Institute of the Rising Generation" found that this kind of instant happiness has quietly spawned a blue - ocean market related to "comedy". Stand-up King 2 not only handed the microphone to little people but also to the entire stand - up comedy industry, making the unknown well - known and bringing what was once ignored into the spotlight, to be heard and remembered.

To present from a data perspective what stand - up comedy variety shows have shown to the audience and the market, we reviewed the data performance of several popular stand - up comedy variety shows in recent years. Let's take a look at where online stand - up comedy is "hot"? Why is it so popular? What impact do the popular online stand - up comedy shows have on the industry? What benefits does the popularity of stand - up comedy bring to brands?

Wave - maker of topics: the power of comedy is seen

Nowadays, on weekend evenings, inviting a few friends to enjoy a two - hour stand - up comedy show has become a summer ritual for many young people. Its importance is comparable to having dumplings during the Spring Festival or Cantonese people loving Fujian cuisine.

Among all stand - up comedy shows, Stand-up King is a benchmark. We compiled the average annual scores of several season - based stand - up comedy variety show IPs on Douban over the past few years. King of Comedy: Stand-up Season, Stand - up Comedy and Its Friends, Stand - up Comedy Conference and Roast Conference all performed well, with scores above 6.5. Stand-up King led the same - type shows with an average score of 7.9. (Note: The average score is based on the comprehensive performance of the two seasons, and the score is the average of the data from the two seasons.)

The high scores from the audience stem from the performers' profound observations of the details of ordinary people's lives. Issues such as the rental and working situations of those drifting in Beijing or Shanghai, and a series of life problems like finding a partner, making friends and job - hunting can always trigger extensive online discussions with unexpected angles, sharp viewpoints and vivid performances.

Stand-up King 2 had only 10 episodes in the whole season. According to Yunhe Data, Stand-up King 2 not only ranked first in the "Monthly List of the Most Popular Shows in the Whole Network in August" but also topped the list in multiple sub - dimensions: it ranked first in the "Top 1 of Variety Shows in the Whole Network" 9 times, "Top 1 of Popular Variety Shows" 9 times, and "Top 1 of Overall Public Opinion Heat" 7 times, becoming the only comedy variety show on Yunhe that ranked first and topped the list multiple times.

It can be seen that with the update of each episode, the show could arouse the audience's enthusiasm for following, fully demonstrating the popularity of Stand-up King 2 in the market and the influence of its IP.

On social media, Stand-up King 2 also showed extremely high popularity.

According to the data statistics on Weibo and Xiaohongshu, since its launch, the number of related posts about Stand-up King 2 on Xiaohongshu exceeded 610,000, the reading volume of the main topic on Weibo reached 2.38 billion, and the reading volume of recent works on Weibo also reached 2.44 billion, showing outstanding data performance among the same - type shows. Official data shows that there were 1308 hot searches on Weibo, 206 on the main list, and 316 on the entertainment list, among which 116 were in the top 10.

As the popularity of Stand-up King 2 soars, more and more people are seeing the power of comedy, just as Lu Lu said, "Stand - up comedy is the bullet of the weak." Aunt Fang, at the age of 50, used stand - up comedy to come to terms with the pain of an arranged marriage; the stand - up comedian Wang Yue used jokes that only men could empathize with to help men have a deeper understanding of "dysmenorrhea"; Tang Xiangyu used stand - up comedy to fight for the right to "eat grasshoppers".

The life troubles and thoughts of little people are not just passing jokes on stage but resounding echoes. In this era full of uncertainties, they bring the power of thinking and healing. This is the key reason why Stand-up King 2 quickly built a good reputation among young people.

Open - mic nearby: the popularity of offline stand - up comedy, with box office surging by 135%

Enabling little people to transform into "kings of comedy" is just the tip of the iceberg of Stand-up King. Beneath the surface, Stand-up King is actually driving the rise of an offline market.

The obvious change is the quiet increase of offline clubs. As the saying goes, one needs ten years of hard work off - stage. Stand - up comedians are no exception. Beyond the spotlight, each performer basically has to go through hundreds of offline open - mic performances. Besides the performers' own perseverance, the support of offline stand - up comedy clubs is particularly important.

The "Institute of the Rising Generation" found that once stand - up comedy was the "exclusive pleasure" of literary and artistic youth in big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Now, it is penetrating into the sinking market at an unprecedented speed. In recent years, stand - up comedy clubs in third - and fourth - tier cities have been springing up everywhere.

In this year's Stand-up King 2 program, the coverage and the number of cooperative offline clubs increased again, involving more than 35 clubs across the country, including many well - known domestic comedy clubs such as Danliren Comedy, Xifan Comedy, Laifeng Comedy, Overload Comedy, Backward Comedy, More Than Comedy, Comedy United Nations, Three - legged Pig Comedy, Can Talk Comedy, SpicyComedy, Stand:by, etc. These clubs cover more than 10 cities in China and 3 countries/regions.

In addition to cooperating with stand - up comedy clubs across the country, Stand-up King also continuously injects vitality into the industry through various forms such as tours and special shows.

For example, King of Comedy: Stand-up Season Tour has visited more than 20 cities, and the score on Damai for the variety show was as high as 9.2. Well - known performers like Lu Lu also launched national tours after the program. These actions not only broadened the market but also deepened the spread of stand - up comedy culture.

With the popularity of stand - up comedy variety shows like Stand-up King, online programs and the offline industry have formed a positive cycle, promoting stand - up comedy from a niche art to a popular one. Online programs provide a stage and opportunities for grassroots newcomers, driving the large - scale development of the offline performance market and clubs; the prosperity of offline theaters provides a practice platform for newcomers, feeding fresh blood back into online programs.

The industry has developed from a single - dominant situation to a diversified one, forming a two - way channel for content production and talent incubation. More and more cities have developed stand - up comedy. Audiences are moving from the screen to offline shows, and newcomers are feeding back to online programs, jointly promoting the prosperity of the industry.

Data shows that in the first half of 2025, stand - up comedy has become the second - largest category of theater performances, accounting for 16% of the total box office. Even more astonishing is the growth rate: the number of performances increased by 54% year - on - year, the box office soared by 135%, and the number of audiences increased by 124%.

Moreover, the maturity of the market is more directly reflected in the "double increase" of performance quality and ticket prices. Once, the ticket prices for stand - up comedy special shows were mostly below 180 yuan. Now, the special - show tickets of top performers like Lu Lu, Fu Hang and Liu Yang can reach up to 580 yuan and are often sold out quickly. The improvement of the performers' personal commercial value, the refined production of special - show content, and the enhanced willingness of audiences to pay have jointly built a positive cycle of the commercial value of stand - up comedy.

It can be said that Stand-up King 2 is no longer just a program. It has gradually become an ecological comedy brand. Through the linkage between online and offline and the resonance across multiple cities and regions, it has truly made stand - up comedy a lifestyle in this era. Happiness is becoming more accessible, more wonderful and more worthy of payment - and perhaps this is the charming appearance of "the popularization of comedy".

Endless popular catchphrases and doubled advertising revenue, continuous improvement of brand influence

The charm of stand - up comedy has ignited the enthusiasm of audiences on the screen and in theaters. Meanwhile, its popularity has also spread to the business field, attracting more and more brands' attention.

With the superimposed effect of going viral both online and offline, advertisers have also seen the huge potential behind comedy content. According to iQiyi data, the advertising revenue of Stand-up King 2 doubled compared with the first season.

This figure not only confirms the market appeal of the program but also makes brands realize that whether it is the variety show IP, the individual performers, or even the popular catchphrases that go viral, they may all become new communication channels.

If the first season of King of Comedy: Stand-up Season allowed the market to taste the sweetness of "comedy variety show + brand marketing", then the second season has significantly increased the stakes on the table.

Compared with the six brand sponsors last year, Stand-up King 2 has more partners this year. The lineup includes new - generation brands like Carlsberg LeBao Beer and Quark APP, as well as a wider range of industries such as travel services and beauty products, injecting more diverse commercial energy into the program.

Tongyi Chunfu's performance was particularly eye - catching. After "Chunfu Green Tea" stood out in the first season, Tongyi Chunfu continued the linkage effect between the brand and the program in this season. The new product "Chunfu Roasted Tea" was seen by more audiences through its ingenious combination with the program content. The refreshing characteristics of the product also echoed the relaxed atmosphere of the comedy variety show, making the brand appear more naturally in the audience's daily consumption scenarios.

Meanwhile, Didi Chuxing also came up with new ideas this year. It not only produced several popular advertisements in combination with the program content but also skillfully combined the "comedy context" with brand services in online and offline promotions, further amplifying its voice.

It can be said that Stand-up King 2 not only significantly increased the number of partners but also through the expansion of the industry map and the upgrade