What Is Netflix Up To With These Mysterious Billboard Ads?

If you happen to be wandering around Studio City in Los Angeles, or Hell's Kitchen in New York City, you may stumble upon some pretty confusing ads. That was certainly the case for a handful of Twitter users, who took to the social media platform these past few days to share snaps of these mysterious billboards they spotted that boldly proclaimed "Netflix Is A Joke." The proclamation wasn't accompanied by any other information, causing people to wonder what the ads were for, where they were from, and if Netflix had anything to say in response to this pretty public shaming.

"a gigantic billboard that just says 'Netflix is a joke.' has appeared in Los Angeles," wrote one user with a picture of the offending sign.

"Anyone know what's up with these @netflix is a joke ads up in Hell's Kitchen in NYC?" asked comedy website The Laugh Button.

Even Netflix itself got in on the banter:

While Netflix didn't respond to Refinery29's request for comment about the mysterious signs, they did confirm to The Hollywood Reporter that they're actually part of a Netflix-run campaign. Sure, that's less titillating than there being some kind of streaming-service drama, but it does mean that exciting things are ahead. Specifically, the outlet reports that the billboards are just phase one of an expanding comedy campaign that will include video appearances by people like Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, and Dave Chappelle to promote the company's recent influx of comedy specials. Other special guests, like Kevin Spacey, will also be making an appearance in the campaign.

It's unclear when exactly the rest of this campaign will unfold, but we could definitely use the laughs.