Australians look set to have a new choice when it comes to TV comedy with Viacom set to launch a local version of Comedy Central in Australia.
Viacom will launch the channel on April 1 in Australia in partnership with Fetch TV. The launch had been widely anticipated after Viacom launched a local version of the Comedy Central website in Australia last year.
The 100% comedy dedicated channel will feature hit U.S. series such as Workaholics, Inside Amy Schumer, Tosh.0, Broad City, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and more, as well as a wide selection of stand-up comedy showcases for those live event comedy lovers. The channel will also include the brutally honest Comedy Central Roasts series of specials, Comedy Central favourites, including Key and Peele, Chappelle’s Show, Drawn Together, Drunk History and Nathan for You, as well as a bunch of other funny stuff including Aussie absurdist sketch group AuntyDonna.
Viacom currently provides much of this content to Foxtel’s The Comedy Channel, an arrangement that is expected to be unaffected in the short term.
The arrival of Comedy Central continues a trend of US studios establishing their own distribution services in Australia, rather than signing exclusive deals with Foxtel.
The move continues Fetch TV’s expansion in Australia. The pay-tv provider is expected to become the home of English Premier League in Australia and is also preparing to launch a new ‘low-cost’ device that will allow subscribers to access Fetch VOD services on their TV’s.
