Canada's funniest battle for a spot in SiriusXM's Top Comic Finale at JFL42 and $25,000

Voting opens today to choose finalists to perform at the Finale for a shot at the biggest grand prize yet – a $25,000 cash prize!

TORONTO, Aug. 2, 2016 /CNW/ - SiriusXM Canada (TSX: XSR), the country's leading audio entertainment company, has announced the 18 semi-finalists in SiriusXM's Top Comic nationwide comedy search. Now it's up to Canadians to select which comics will make the cut to perform at the SiriusXM Top Comic Finale this September as part of Just For Laughs' JFL42 Comedy Festival in Toronto.

Beginning at 10 a.m. ET today until 11:59 pm ET on August 22, people across Canada can view the semi-finalists' videos and vote for their favourite comedians once a day at siriusxm.ca/topcomic. At the end of the voting period, the eight comics with the most votes will compete on stage at the Finale for the title of SiriusXM's Top Comic and the competition's biggest grand prize yet — $25,000. The winner will also receive a guaranteed spot at three of Canada's biggest comedy festivals in 2017: JFL42 (Toronto), JFL NorthWest (Vancouver), and the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, including the televised JFL: All Access, airing on The Comedy Network. Two runners up will receive TV spots at the 2017 Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, as well as a double-threat show at JFL42 2017. The Finale will feature a performance by a TBA headliner and will take place at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on September 29, 2016.

This past June, SiriusXM selected 72 Canadian comics from across the country to audition in either Toronto or Vancouver across six nights, all hosted by Ben Miner, Canadian comic and host of SiriusXM's Canada Laughs channel. A panel of industry judges selected three comics from each audition night to move on to the next phase, resulting in 18 semi-finalists.

"We saw so many incredibly talented comedians audition for this year's competition, making it especially challenging for our judges to select just 18 finalists," said Ben Miner. "This year's competition grand prize will be truly career-changing for our Finale winner and we're thrilled that Canadians will have a hand in selecting the eight competitors."

The SiriusXM Top Comic 2016 semi-finalists are:

Kevin Banner
John Beuhler
Sophie Buddle
Abdul Butt
Chuck Byrn
Graham Clark
Mark Debonis 
Mike Delamont 
Che Durena 
Mayce Galoni 
Chris Gaskin 
Christopher Griffin 
Tom Henry 
Julia Hladkowicz 
Ted Morris 
Tim Nutt 
Chris Robinson
K Trevor Wilson

Finalists will be announced later this summer.

Top Comic is part of SiriusXM Canada's ongoing initiatives to provide exposure to Canadian talent. Last year, Montreal's Derek Seguin took home the title and grand prize, with Matt Billon of Vancouver and Jordan Welwood of Winnipeg placing as runners-up. Previous winners include Faisal Butt, Pete Zedlacher, Eric Andrews, Matt O'Brien and Brian Stollery.

Canada Laughs (channel 168) features uncensored Canadian comedy 24/7 including stand-up, sketch and more, putting the spotlight on the rich pool of extraordinary talent from Canada. Canada Laughs is available to all Sirius and XM subscribers in Canada and across the U.S. and joins SiriusXM's hilarious comedy lineup, including Comedy Central Radio, Raw Dog Comedy, The Foxxhole, Jeff and Larry's Comedy Roundup, Laugh USA and more.

Those satellite radio subscribers who add SiriusXM Streaming access to their subscription can also listen to Canada Laughs on the SiriusXM App and online. 

To vote visit siriusxm.ca/topcomic.   

About SiriusXM Canada

Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc. (TSX: XSR) operates as SiriusXM Canada. SiriusXM Canada, with approximately 2.7 million subscribers, is the country's leading audio entertainment company and broadcasts more than 130 satellite radio channels featuring premier sports, news, talk, entertainment and commercial-free music. SiriusXM Canada offers an array of content from the most recognized news, entertainment and major sports brands including the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB, NASCAR, CNN, CBC, FOX, BBC, Howard Stern, Disney, Comedy Central and more.

SiriusXM programming is available on a variety of devices including pre-installed and after-market radios in cars, trucks and boats, smartphones and mobile devices, and consumer electronics products for homes and offices. SiriusXM programming is also available online at www.siriusxm.ca and on Apple and Android-powered mobile devices.

SiriusXM Canada has partnerships with every major automaker and its radio products are available at more than 2,500 retail locations nationwide. To find out more about SiriusXM Canada (TSX: XSR), visit our website at www.siriusxm.ca.

SiriusXM Canada has been designated one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies seven years in a row and is currently a Platinum Club Member, in addition to 2013, 2014 and 2015 rankings in PROFIT 500's list of Canada's Fastest Growing Companies.

Join SiriusXM Canada on Facebook at facebook.com/siriusxmcanada, on Twitter at twitter.com/siriusxmcanada and on Youtube at youtube.com/siriusxmcanada.

SOURCE Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc.

Media contact: Andrea McLoughlin, Holmes PR, 416-628-5609, [email protected]; Vanessa Andres, Holmes PR, 416-628-5612, [email protected]