| Ha!: The TV Comedy Network | |
|---|---|
| Launched | April 1, 1990 |
| Closed | April 1, 1991 |
| Owned by | Viacom |
| Replaced by | Comedy Central |
Ha!: The TV Comedy Network, owned by Viacom, was one of the first American all-comedy channels available to basic cable subscribers. Launched on April 1, 1990 at 7 p.m. ET[1], it competed with another startup comedy-oriented cable channel, HBO-owned The Comedy Channel (now Comedy Central).
Unlike The Comedy Channel, which focused on stand-up comedy specials and clips of classic comedy feature films, Ha!'s programming centered largely on acquired off-network situation comedies from the 1950s to the 1970s. Some cable providers, particularly those owned by Viacom or Cablevision, carried the channel under a channel-share agreement in which it would be aired on the same channel space as fellow Viacom-owned cable network VH1; Ha! would air for half of the day, with the channel turning over to VH1 channel afterward.[2]
In 1990, Ha! and Comedy Channel agreed to merge to create CTV: The Comedy Network, which began airing on April 1, 1991[3]; prior to the merger, both channels each had fewer than 10 million subscribers. Because of confusion and possible legal issues with the Canadian-based CTV network, the name of the network was subsequently changed to Comedy Central, a name created by Bill Burnett (www.billburnett.com), Creative Director of the marketing and advertising agency Fred/Alan, Inc.
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