Comedy Central

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Comedy Central

Logo used as of January 1, 2011
Launched April 1, 1991
Owned by Viacom Media Networks
(Viacom)
Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
480i (SDTV)
Country United States
Language English
Broadcast area National
Headquarters 345 Hudson Street
New York City, New York
Formerly called CTV: The Comedy Network (April 1, 1991–May 31, 1991)
Replaced The Comedy Channel
Ha! (channel was a merger of the two formerly-separate services)
Website www.comedycentral.com
Availability
Satellite
DirecTV 249 (HD/SD)
1249 (VOD)
Dish Network 107 (HD/SD)
Cable
Available on most cable providers Check local listings for channels
IPTV
Verizon FiOS 690 (HD)
190 (SD)
AT&T U-Verse 1140 (HD)
140 (SD)

Comedy Central is an American basic cable and satellite television channel that is owned by MTV Networks Entertainment Group, a unit of the Viacom Media Networks division of Viacom. The channel carries comedy programming, in the form of both original and syndicated series and stand-up comedy specials, as well as feature films.

Since late 2006, Comedy Central has expanded globally with localized channels in Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Latin America, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia,[1] Africa,[2] Spain, and the United Kingdom. The international channels are operated by Viacom International Media Networks.

As of August 2013, approximately 97,838,000 American households (86.95% of households with television) receive Comedy Central.[3]

History

Creation (1989–1991)

On November 15, 1989, Time Warner, owners of HBO, launched The Comedy Channel as the first cable channel devoted exclusively to comedy-based programming. On April 1, 1990, Viacom (who owned MTV, VH1, and Nickelodeon) launched a rival channel called Ha![4] that featured reruns of situation comedies and some original sketch comedy.

The Comedy Channel's programs were originated from the HBO Downtown Studios at 120 East 23rd Street in Manhattan. The format prior to the merger with Ha! included several original and unconventional programs such as Onion World with Rich Hall and Mystery Science Theater 3000, as well as laid-back variety/talk shows hosted by comedians, including The Sweet Life with Rachel Sweet, Night After Night with Allan Havey, Sports Monster and The Higgins Boys and Gruber, the latter of whom performed sketches in between showings of vintage television series like Supercar, Clutch Cargo and Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp.

The standard format for The Comedy Channel's shows usually involved the various hosts introducing clips culled from the acts of stand-up comedians as well as classic comedies of the 1970s and 1980s, such as Young Frankenstein and Kentucky Fried Movie, presented in a style similar to music videos. In the early days, certain hours of the day when clips were shown without "host segments" were dubbed Short Attention Span Theater. In 1990, hosts under this title, Jon Stewart and Patty Rosborough, were introduced. Comedian Marc Maron also hosted the series.

While The Comedy Channel broadcast mostly low-budget original programming,[5] Ha!'s schedule featured sitcom and sketch comedy reruns (many of which had been previously licensed for sister network Nick at Nite) as well as complete 90-minute reruns of Saturday Night Live from the sixth through 16th seasons.

After two years of limited distribution, the two channels merged into one, relaunching on April 1, 1991 as CTV: The Comedy Network; it later changed its name to Comedy Central on June 1, 1991 to prevent issues with the Canadian broadcast television network CTV.[6] Viacom bought out Time Warner's half in April 2003 for $1.23 billion.[7] Despite HBO's exit from the venture, the Viacom Media Networks division in charge of Comedy Central is still called Comedy Partners, currently being a partnership of Viacom International, the operating subsidiary of Viacom of which Viacom Media Networks is a division, and Viacom Hearty Ha! Ha! LLC, the subsidiary that owned Ha! and Viacom's original half of the network.[8]

1991–1997

The original Comedy Central logo used from June 1, 1991 to November 12, 2000. An earlier variant of this logo has the "Comedy Central" text bigger, almost taking up the marquee sign; that variant lasted until 1995.

From the late 1980s through the mid-1990s, much of the programming on Comedy Central, and its predecessors, consisted of comedy films, sitcom reruns, half-hour specials and clip shows featuring comedians. With the exception of the cult favorite Mystery Science Theater 3000, the channel had a relatively small viewership. A notable early success was Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, which after showing promise on Comedy Central was quickly snapped up by ABC. Additionally, The Daily Show had got its start with original host Craig Kilborn, although it would take a few more years for the show to reach high popularity (and a shift toward a focus on political humor) with the introduction of Jon Stewart (who was former co-host of Short Attention Span Theater from 1991).

Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist was also a notable original program from this era, as well as the game show Win Ben Stein's Money. Successful non-original programming included Canadian comedy group The Kids in the Hall and British shows such as the U.K. edition of Whose Line Is It Anyway? (the predecessor of the U.S. version, featuring much of the same American cast as would later be seen in the U.S.) and the sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. Some later seasons of "AbFab", as it was informally known, were partially financed by Comedy Central. Comedy Central also had the national rights to broadcast reruns of Seattle's Almost Live! between 1992 and 1993.

1997–1999

The channel made a breakthrough when South Park premiered in 1997. Being the first major basic cable show to carry the TV-MA rating for mature audiences, the show was too controversial to be picked up by a mainstream network.[9] As word of mouth spread, the number of people who requested that Comedy Central be added to their cable providers increased, and the channel became available in over 50% of American homes by 1998.

2000–2003

The network's second logo used from November 13, 2000 to December 31, 2010. It was used in the United Kingdom until July 31, 2012.

On November 13, 2000, Comedy Central modernized its globe logo, by straightening the buildings, modernizing the globe, and removing the transmitter from the logo. The management of the network said that the transmitter of the 1991 logo was said to "communicate the 1950s broadcast era". In 2002, Comedy Central Records was formed as a means of releasing albums by comedians that have appeared on the network.[10]

Since 2003, Comedy Central has created a tradition of roasting comedians in tradition of the New York Friars' Club roasts. During these roasts friends of the roastee, along with comedians, take turns making fun of the roastee, the other roasters and occasionally audience members. So far, the roastees have included Denis Leary,[11] Jeff Foxworthy,[12] Pamela Anderson,[13] William Shatner,[14] Flavor Flav,[15] Bob Saget,[16] Larry the Cable Guy,[17] Joan Rivers, David Hasselhoff,[18] Donald Trump, Charlie Sheen, Roseanne Barr, and James Franco.

The Secret Stash

The success of South Park, despite its mature content, encouraged the network to continue to push the limits on adult language. Every Saturday and Sunday morning at 1 a.m. ET, a movie, comedy special or animated program is shown unedited for language as part of a block called the Secret Stash. It premiered on July 4, 2003 (with the unedited cable television debut of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut). Though no language is censored on the Secret Stash, most nudity in the programs is still edited out, with the exception of limited nudity allowed in animated programs (such as Drawn Together), rear nudity and the occasional topless scene.

2004–2006

In late 2004, it was reported that the four highest-rated shows on Comedy Central were, in ascending order, South Park, Chappelle's Show, The Daily Show and Reno 911!. Shortly thereafter, Dave Chappelle backed out of the much-anticipated third season of Chappelle's Show.[19] Meanwhile, The Daily Show continued to climb in the ratings. In October 2005, on the occasion of a new three-year contract for South Park and the launch of Daily Show spin-off The Colbert Report, it was reported that South Park and The Daily Show were the two highest-rated shows on Comedy Central. Comedy Central chief Doug Herzog was reported as saying that he hoped to continue to air new seasons of South Park forever, and that The Colbert Report fulfilled a long-held plan to extend the Daily Show brand.

On April 5, 2006, in a controversial two-part episode arc titled "Cartoon Wars Part I" and "Cartoon Wars Part II", South Park touched the issue of the recent protest over the Danish cartoon drawings depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad. The image of Muhammad did not appear in the episode. The episode also mocked fellow cartoon Family Guy. On April 13, 2006, Comedy Central issued a statement[20] which appears to confirm that the network prohibited the show's creators from airing an image of Muhammad. The statement reads, "In light of recent world events, we feel we made the right decision." An anonymous source close to the show indicated[citation needed] that South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were informed of the policy several weeks earlier, and wrote this story arc in protest. This is a change of policy for Comedy Central, having allowed South Park to portray an image of Muhammad in an earlier episode, "Super Best Friends". Oddly enough, an image of Muhammad was still briefly visible in the opening credits of the "Cartoon Wars" episodes (the image had been there as a call-back to "Super Best Friends").

2007–2010

On January 15, 2007, MTV Networks International launched Comedy Central in Germany which is available for free throughout Europe. The channel airs 33 shows either dubbed in German or subtitled while also airing locally produced shows.[21] On April 30, Dutch channel The Box was relaunched as the Dutch version of Comedy Central during the primetime and overnight hours timesharing with Nickelodeon.[22] On May 1, 2007, Comedy Central expanded to Italy, replacing Paramount Comedy.[23]

On June 27, 2007, CTVglobemedia-owned networks CTV and The Comedy Network obtained the exclusive Canadian rights to the entire Comedy Central library of past and current programs on all electronic platforms, under a multi-year agreement with Viacom, expanding on past programming agreements between the two channels. Canadian users attempting to visit Comedy Central websites were redirected to The Comedy Network's website. The Canadian channel retains its own brand name, but the agreement is otherwise very similar to the earlier CTV/Viacom deal for MTV in Canada.[24] As of 2011, this geocaching no longer applies and both the Comedy Central and The Comedy Network websites can be accessed worldwide, with the exception of videos which remain only accessible within each respective country.

In December 2007, Comedy Central picked up a show hosted by Lewis Black called Lewis Black's Root of All Evil,[25] which debuted in March 2008. On January 9, 2008, it was announced the Comedy Central and MTV would allow the streaming its programs online for free starting in February of that year.[26] On January 24, Scott Landsman became the Vice President of Original Programming and Development at the network.[27]

On March 27, 2008, the Swedish Radio and TV Authority approved an application from Comedy Central regarding being allowed to air television programs in Sweden. The grant allows Comedy Central to broadcast on the terrestrial television network between January 1, 2009 and March 31, 2014, after which a new request must be submitted in order to continue broadcasting.[28] Comedy Central's U.S. flagship network picked up a remake of The Gong Show hosted by Dave Attell,[29] star of his former self-titled Comedy Central series Insomniac, which debuted in July 2008. Another new show called Reality Bites Back[30] premiered after The Gong Show with Dave Attell.

In June 2008, Comedy Central picked up the sketch comedy show Important Things with Demetri Martin, which began airing in February 2009.[31] On April 1, 2009, Comedy Central began airing in New Zealand as channel 010 on SKY Digital. On April 6, Paramount Comedy in the UK and Ireland rebranded as Comedy Central. On April 7, 2009, it was announced Comedy Central would air new stand-up comedy specials starring Christopher Titus, Gabriel Iglesias, Pablo Francisco, Jim Breuer, Mitch Fatel and Pete Correale, and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham.[32] An animated show entitled Ugly Americans has also been picked up by the network.[33] In 2009, The Goode Family premiered.[34] Also in 2009, Thomas Lennon announced via Twitter that Reno 911! had been cancelled[35] after six seasons, much to fan disapproval. The network also played a role in the revival of the animated series Futurama, which Fox had cancelled in 2003. New episodes began airing on Comedy Central in 2010. But in May 2013, Comedy Central released a statement saying that the contract between Futurama and Comedy Central, would not be renewed, and that during the Summer of 2013, would be Futurama's final season on the air.[36]

South Park episodes "200" and "201" aired in April 2010, revisiting the issue of the Islamic religious figure Muhammad's perceived immunity to parody, for fear of violent retaliation. The Super Best Friends return, but Muhammad is entirely covered by a black bar reading "CENSORED" through all of his screen time. By the second episode of the two-parter, Comedy Central decided to censor every instance of his name, as well as three entire monologues, from the end of the show. The monologues dealt with the subjects of censorship and intimidation, but did not actually use Muhammad's name. Parker and Stone have since issued a statement to the press, confirming that the "bleeps" were added weeks after the show was finished, and that Comedy Central has refused to let them post the original version to South Park Studios, in addition to retroactively removing the original "Super Best Friends" episode.[37]

2011–present

On December 10, 2010, Comedy Central introduced a new logo for the network that launched on January 1, 2011, which left behind the previous theme of a world-sized "tower" broadcasting the network/skyscrapers, in favor of an image of two "C"'s, with one of them and the word "Central" turned upside-down within the new logomark. The new logo was designed to represent the network's unique brand of comedy (with some drawing comparisons to the copyright symbol as inspiration for its design and use), and to provide the network with a logo that could be easily used across different platforms, such as social media.[38][39] This new logo has won several industry awards.[40]

The Polish version of the channel was the first international Comedy Central channel to switch to the new logo on February 20, 2011; followed by the Hungarian version on April 1, 2011. Versions of the channel in Germany and the Netherlands soon followed on October 1, 2011. Comedy Central New Zealand rebranded in April 2012. Viacom 18 launched the channel in India on January 23, 2012.[41] StarHub launched Comedy Central Asia in Singapore on November 1, 2012; the channel was added to its Basic Entertainment Upsize group.[42]

On October 21, 2013 the network premiered a new nightly series @midnight hosted by comedian Chris Hardwick. @midnight serves as an expansion to the network's nightly late-night programming alongside The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

High definition channels and service

A 1080i high definition simulcast feed of Comedy Central that launched on January 13, 2009.[43] Cablevision was the first carrier to add it. DirecTV added the HD version on January 21, 2009, followed by Dish Network on April 9. 2009.[44] It was also reported that some Cox Communications systems would add the HD feed by the end of January 2009.[43] Comedy Central anticipated that several more providers would add it later in that year.[43]

The Daily Show and The Colbert Report began airing in HD on January 4, 2010.[45] Many episodes of South Park that were originally made in 4:3 standard definition were upconverted to air in a 16:9 format on Comedy Central HD. Comedy Central HD currently only airs as an Eastern Time feed.

Programming

Main article: List of programs broadcast by Comedy Central

International

Local versions of Comedy Central include:

Comedy Central Family:

Comedy Central Extra:

Paramount Comedy:

Criticism

Comedy Central has been a frequent target of criticism from the conservative group Parents Television Council, which accuses them of bigotry and blasphemy,[46][47] especially within the programs South Park, The Sarah Silverman Program, Halfway Home, and the annual "Roast" special.[48] The PTC has used their criticisms against Comedy Central for their support of the Family and Consumer Choice Act of 2007, which would allow American cable television subscribers to choose which channels they subscribe to,[49] and to persuade advertisers to stop advertising on the channel.[50] PTC founder and former president L. Brent Bozell III has called the channel unfunny, claiming the channel has managed "to reach the top of its field in spite of – or, better put, because of – the network's sheer lack of comedic talent" by its "extensive reliance on shocking or disgusting humor".[51] The PTC attacked the channel[52] for airing advertisements for "Girls Gone Wild". The channel airs the least censored version of the film Not Another Teen Movie, as well as uncut versions of films such as Coming to America, Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

On November 5, 2007, an open letter[53] was written by VideoSift to protesting the blocking of Comedy Central's embedded video content for non-U.S. based viewers.

On April 21, 2010, Comedy Central censored the South Park episode, "201", in response to a death threat issued by users of a radical Muslim website over the episode's planned depiction of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, which led several newspaper columnists to condemn the network's actions as tantamount to abetting terrorism. As a result, "201" and the episode that preceded it were heavily edited and not shown in repeats.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Viacom to Launch Comedy Central Extra in Adriatic Region". The Hollywood Reporter. 2012-07-31. Retrieved 2012-10-27. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.comedycentralafrica.com/ Comedy Central Africa website
  3. ↑ Seidman, Robert (August 23, 2013). "List of How Many Homes Each Cable Networks Is In - Cable Network Coverage Estimates As Of August 2013". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved August 25, 2013. 
  4. ↑ latimes.com Cable Comedy – Will HBO Have the Last Laugh? Television: The 24-hour Comedy Channel premieres tonight, but Viacom has plans to launch its own comedy channel, HA!, in the spring.
  5. ↑ Boone, Brian (January 12, 2012). "The Origin and Early Programs of Comedy Central". Splitsider. Retrieved March 29, 2012. 
  6. ↑ (Name change to Comedy Central within a month of launch due to a lawsuit with CTV in Canada)
  7. ↑ "Viacom buys Comedy Central". Reuters. April 22, 2003. Retrieved 2007-08-03. 
  8. ↑ United States Patent and Trademark Office. "Trademark Status & Document Retrieval: Serial no. 85181456". Retrieved 2013-06-17.  (see "Current Owner(s) Information")
  9. ↑ Carter, Bill. MEDIA: BROADCASTING; Comedy Central makes the most of an irreverent, and profitable, new cartoon hit (Part 2 of 2). The New York Times: Nov 10, 1997.
  10. ↑ comedycentral.com Press Central – Comedy Central Records
  11. ↑ "Official site". Comedy Central. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  12. ↑ "Comedy Central Roast of Jeff Foxworthy". Comedy Central. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  13. ↑ "Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson". Comedy Central. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  14. ↑ "Roast of Shatner". Comedy Central. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  15. ↑ "Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav official site". Comedy Central. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  16. ↑ "Official site". Comedy Central. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  17. ↑ "Official site". Comedy Central. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  18. ↑ "Official site". Comedy Central. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  19. ↑ Comedy Central to air Chappelle remainders, MSNBC, December 12, 2005.
  20. ↑ "'South Park' Creators Skewer Own Network". Newsvine. April 13, 2006. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  21. ↑ Tzortzis, Andreas (February 18, 2007). "Comedy Central plays to a German sense of humor". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2007-08-03. 
  22. ↑ 16.06 Europe/London, March 23, 2007 (March 23, 2007). "Dutch launch for Comedy Central". Broadbandtvnews.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  23. ↑ http://www.broadcastclub.co.uk/sateuropa_forum/upload/viewtopic.php?pid=318
  24. ↑ CTV Strikes Multi-Platform Content Deal With Comedy Central, CTV press release, June 27, 2007
  25. ↑ tvsquad.com Comedy Central picks up Lewis Black's show
  26. ↑ Jones, K.C. (January 9, 2008). "Free MTV And Comedy Central Online". Information Week. Retrieved 2008-01-09. 
  27. ↑ Eggerton, John (January 24, 2007). "Landsman Gets VP Stripes at Comedy Central". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2007-01-27. 
  28. ↑ "Announcement regarding new DVB-T channels going live in Sweden on April 1, 2008". Retrieved 2008-03-27. 
  29. ↑ zap2it.com Comedy Central Resurrects 'The Gong Show'
  30. ↑ multichannel.com Comedians Square Off In ‘Reality Bites Back’ Series – Comedy Central’s First Unscripted Competition Series Mocks Reality Genre
  31. ↑ "Stewart stamp on 'Martin'". Hollywoodreporter.com. October 3, 2007. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
  32. ↑ Lafayette, Jon. "TV Week April 7, 2009 Comedy Central Commits to Stand-Up Specials". Tvweek.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  33. ↑ "Comedy Central Orders Animated Show, Gets Righteous". The Live Feed. May 14, 2009. 
  34. ↑ latimes.com New life for 'Goode Family' – Canceled last season by ABC, the series is getting another chance to catch on, this time via Comedy Central.
  35. ↑ gawker.com Reno 911! Cancelled By Comedy Central
  36. ↑ movieweb.com Futurama Finally Returns with Brand New Episodes in June!
  37. ↑ "201 (South Park) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia". En.wikipedia.org. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  38. ↑ "Comedy Central Unveils Serious New Logo – Vulture". Nymag.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  39. ↑ "Comedy Central Flips With New Logo – 2010-12-09 18:55:26 | Broadcasting & Cable". Broadcastingcable.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  40. ↑ "Thelab : thelog :". Thelabnyc.com. February 7, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  41. ↑ Pereira, Priyanka (February 17, 2012). "For a Few Laughs". The Indian Express. Retrieved March 10, 2012. 
  42. ↑ "Comedy Central Asia, Asia's First and Only 24/7 All-Comedy Network Available to All StarHub TV Subscribers". 
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 "Multichannel News January 13, 2009 Comedy Central Launches HDTV Network – New Service Available on Cablevision Systems with Cox, DirecTV to Come". Multichannel.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  44. ↑ Gelman, Vlada. "TV Week April 10, 2009 Dish Network Adds BET, MTV Channels in HD". Tvweek.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  45. ↑ "Multichannel News December 17, 2009 'Daily Show,' 'Colbert Report' To Ring In 2010 In HD – Comedy Central Series Will Be Delivered In HD, Beginning Jan. 4". Multichannel.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  46. ↑ Bozell, L. Brent III (December 22, 2005). "Comedy Central's War on Christmas". CNS News. Creators Syndicate. Archived from the original on February 1, 2008. Retrieved 2007-08-01. 
  47. ↑ "Comedy Central Shows God in One-Night Stand" (Press release). Parents Television Council. March 9, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-01. 
  48. ↑ Bozell, L. Brent III (August 24, 2006). "Roasting the Final Frontier". MRC.org. Creators Syndicate. Retrieved 2007-08-01. 
  49. ↑ Isett, Dan (June 14, 2007). "Remarks Presented by Dan Isett of the PTC at the News Conference Regarding the "Family and Consumer Choice Act of 2007"". Parents Television Council. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-01. 
  50. ↑ Bozell, L. Brent III (September 6, 2005). "Letter to Advertisers Concerning their Sponsorship of the August 16th Roast of Pamela Anderson on Comedy Central". Parents Television Council. Retrieved 2007-08-01. 
  51. ↑ Bozell, L. Brent III (March 24, 2006). "The Arrested Adolescent's Channel". CNS News. Creators Syndicate. Archived from the original on June 11, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-01. 
  52. ↑ Parents Television Council – Letters to the Editor – Offensive Ads
  53. ↑ "VideoSifts open letter to Comedy Central and Viacom". Videosift.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.