| The Comedy Channel | |
| Owner: | Foxtel Networks |
| Headquarters: | Melbourne |
| Country: | Australia |
| Language: | English |
| Sister Channels: | Foxtel Networks channels |
| Logo Alt: | The Comedy Channel Logo |
| Launch Date: | 30 June 1996 |
| Picture Format: | (576i, SDTV) |
| Replaced By: | Fox Comedy |
| Website: | thecomedychannel.com.au |
| Online Serv 1: | Foxtel Go |
| Online Chan 1: | Channel 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.[1]
A joint venture between Artist Services (20%), Australis Media (40%), and Foxtel (40%),[2] the channel began broadcasting on the Galaxy platform, and became available on Foxtel on 1 August 1996.[3] After the collapse of Australis in 1998, Foxtel's share of the channel increased to 80%. 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, , 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]