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The Comedy Channel

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This article is about the former Australian subscription television channel. For other uses, see The Comedy Channel (disambiguation).

The Comedy Channel
CountryAustralia
HeadquartersMelbourne
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format16:9 (576i, SDTV)
Ownership
OwnerFoxtel Networks
Sister channelsFoxtel Networks channels
History
Launched30 June 1996[1]
Closed1 September 2020; 4 years ago (1 September 2020)
Replaced byFox Comedy
Links
Websitethecomedychannel.com.au
Availability
Streaming media
Foxtel GoChannel 121

The Comedy Channel (promoted on air as comedy) was an Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, and Optus Television. The channel ceased broadcasting on 1 September 2020.[2]

History

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A joint venture between Artist Services (20%), Australis Media (40%), and Foxtel (40%),[3] the channel began broadcasting on the Galaxy platform, and became available on Foxtel on 1 August 1996.[1] After the collapse of Australis in 1998, Foxtel's share of the channel increased to 80%.[3] The channel became fully owned by Foxtel after it purchased Artist Services' (now ITV Studios Australia, formerly Granada Australia) 20% stake in August 2002.[4][5]

In 2006–2007, the channel moved headquarters from Sydney to Melbourne, into the studios vacated by Fox Footy Channel.[6] Until the launch of Comedy Central in 2016, The Comedy Channel was the only channel in Australia specifically dedicated to comedy around the clock. It primarily features stand-up comedy, sitcoms, animated comedy series, sketch comedy, comedy films, and talk shows.

Started on 11 March 2008 but the comedy shows are now airing on The Comedy Channel on 11 March 2008. The block returned with Robot Chicken and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, in March 2008, with Aqua Teen Hunger Force joining the programming on 1 July. The Boondocks also airs on the same channel although it is not under the Adult Swim banner and instead airs separately. Moral Orel has premiered on Australian television. Titan Maximum also premiered on 6 January 2010. Frisky Dingo joined the Comedy Channel’s "Animania" line-up as of 21 July 2010. Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job premiered on 26 January 2011 along with Childrens Hospital which unlike the American broadcast, aired completely uncensored with profanity intact. The new incarnation also premiered a lot of other Adult Swim shows including Moral Orel, Titan Maximum, Robot Chicken: Star Wars, Frisky Dingo, Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job and Childrens Hospital (airing uncensored with profanity intact), along with the latest additions but aired at a different time, Metalocalypse and The Venture Bros, the latter making it the third show with Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Harvey Birdman to have been aired on both the old and the new block. Some series that aired on Adult Swim have been released to Region 4 DVD by Madman Entertainment, including shows that have never been shown on Australian television before, such as Metalocalypse, Minoriteam, 12 oz. Mouse, Xavier Renegade Angel. The Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters has also been quietly released to DVD.[7]

Comedy Channel personalities include Frank Woodley, who hosts Aussie Gold; Tim Ross and Merrick Watts, who together host The Merrick & Rosso Show; Cameron Knight, who amongst other things for the Comedy Channel hosted Stand Up Australia; and H.G. Nelson, who hosts Comedy Slapdown.

The Comedy Channel transferred from 4:3 to Widescreen 16:9 broadcasting on Thursday 1 April 2010 at 5:30am as part of Foxtel's plan to convert all of its channels to widescreen before the end of 2010.[8]

On 31 July 2020, it was announced that Comedy would cease broadcasting in September, alongside sister network Fox Hits, and both channels merged onto the Fox Hits channel space as Fox Comedy. Its current-day programming was dispersed across Foxtel's Fox8 and Fox Showcase, as well as ViacomCBS' free-to-air 10 Shake.[9]

Programming

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Final programming

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Original programming

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  • Ned's newt (1997)
  • Melbourne Comedy Festival's Big Three-Oh (2016–present)

Acquired programming

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Former programming

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Original programming

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Acquired programming

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References

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  1. ^ a b Freeman, Jane; Andrew Conway (30 June 1996). "The Joke Stops Here". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia. p. 2. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  2. ^ Perry, Kevin (31 July 2020). "The Comedy Channel Becomes Latest Iconic Name To Depart From Foxtel". TV BlackBox. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b Schulze, Jane (28 July 1998). "Foxtel takes more of comedy TV". The Age. Melbourne, Australia: Fairfax Media. p. 5. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  4. ^ Lee Lewes, Jacqueline (23 August 2002). "Burrells returns to run Foxtel's Comedy Channel". The Hollywood Reporter. 374 (45): 14. ISSN 0018-3660.
  5. ^ Idato, Michael (19 August 2002). "Switched on". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia: Fairfax Media. p. 2. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  6. ^ Ricketson, Matthew (29 November 2006). "Foxtel handballs Comedy Channel to Melbourne". The Age. Melbourne, Australia: Fairfax Media. p. 3. ISSN 0312-6307. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  7. ^ "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters DVD". Burn.com.au. 2 April 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
  8. ^ Knox, David (15 March 2010). "Comedy Channel goin' widescreen, no foolin'". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  9. ^ Perry, Kevin (31 July 2020). "THE COMEDY CHANNEL BECOMES LATEST ICONIC NAME TO DEPART FROM FOXTEL". tvblackbox.com.au. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  10. ^ Knox, David (24 November 2016). "Airdate:Brexit at Tiffanys: The Best of the Edinburgh Fest". TV Tonight. Retrieved 24 December 2016. The two-hour special was filmed and commissioned by Foxtel.
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