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Comedy Central is a cable television and satellite television channel in the United States and, as of October 19, 2006, in Poland[1] and of January 15 2007 in Germany[2]. Two more countries are following, from april 30th in the Netherlands and from may in Italy. As its name implies, the channel carries predominantly comedy programming, both original and syndicated. While once a small cable network that few watched, in recent years it has grown to be one of the most popular cable channels, earning the praise of many entertainment-based media along the way[citation needed].
HistoryThe Comedy Channel and Ha!In November 1989, Time Warner, owners of HBO, launched The Comedy Channel as the first cable channel devoted exclusively to comedy-based programming. Five months later, Viacom (who owned MTV, VH1, and Nickelodeon) launched an edgier rival channel called HA! CTV: The Comedy Network
1991-1996From the late 1980s through the mid-1990s, much of the programming on Comedy Central, and its predecessors, consisted of comedy movies and half-hour specials and clip-shows featuring stand up 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 the ABC network. South ParkThe channel made a breakthrough when South Park premiered in 1997. The first major cable show to carry the TV-MA rating for mature audiences, the show was too controversial to get picked up by a mainstream network. As word-of-mouth spread, the number of people who requested that Comedy Central be added to their cable systems increased, and the channel became available in over 50% of American homes by 1998. The Secret StashThe success of South Park with its mature content encouraged the network to continue to push the limits on adult language. Every "Saturday at 1 a.m.," a movie or comedy special is shown unedited. This is called the Secret Stash. It premiered on July 4th, 2003 (with the unedited cable television debut of the "South Park" movie).
2002-2006In 2002, Comedy Central Records was formed as a means of releasing albums by comedians that have appeared on the network. 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 Hugh Hefner, Drew Carey, Denis Leary, Jeff Foxworthy, Pamela Anderson, William Shatner and Rob Reiner. Image:The Colbert Report - Stewart & Colbert (Aug 2006).png Stewart (left) and Colbert during a comedic pause on The Colbert Report. In late 2004, it was reported that the top four rated shows on Comedy Central, in order, were South Park, Chappelle's Show, The Daily Show, and Reno 911!. Shortly thereafter, Dave Chappelle infamously backed out of the anticipated third season of Chappelle's Show; meanwhile, The Daily Show continued to climb in ratings. In October 2005, on the occasion of a new three-year contract for South Park and the launch of 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 Muslim protest over the Danish comic strips depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad. The image of Muhammad did not appear in the episode. On April 13, 2006, Comedy Central issued a statement[1] 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 that South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were informed of the policy several weeks earlier, and wrote this story arc in protest. On October 19, 2006, MTV Networks International launched Comedy Central in Poland. The channel contains 19 series from USA, 3 shows from America (for example Saturday Night Live) and 2 programms from Poland (Koookły, Hu jak humor). 2007-On Monday January 15, 2007, MTV Networks International launched Comedy Central in Germany. It is the first 24 hour German-speaking comedy channel in Germany and is available for free throughout Europe. The channel airs 33 shows either dubbed in German or subtitled while also airing locally produced shows - http://www.comedycentral.de In the course of 2007, Dutch channel The Box will be transformed into the Dutch version of Comedy Central. And on May 1, 2007 the channel is starting in Italy. Previous logos
The current Comedy Central Network ID, created in 2000, was underscored with an audio signature and accompanying music campaign composed and produced by Musikvergnuegen -- a Hollywood-based music and sound company specializing in audio branding founded by Austrian-born composer Walter Werzowa. Notable original programmingCurrentAnimated
Sitcoms
Talk Shows/Variety
Standup Comedy
Past (on reruns)Animated
Clip Shows
Game Shows
Reality Shows
Sitcoms
Sketch Comedy
Stage performancesStandup Comedy
Talk Shows/Variety
Other
Original movies
Motherload Videos
Notable non-original programming
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