Comedy Central will officially cease broadcasting on Fetch TV today, ending an eight-year run on the entertainment platform.
The channel, known for iconic shows like The Daily Show, South Park, and sitcom reruns like Becker and Rules of Engagement, first launched in Australia on April 1, 2016, as part of Viacom’s (now Paramount) local expansion.
At the time of its launch, the company was optimistic about the channel’s potential in Australia having already launched in NZ, highlighting local content commissions including comedy and sketch group Aunty Donna, alongside its suite of popular global programming.
A notice shared on the platform last month about the channel leaving reads: “Comedy Central (Ch 110) is leaving Fetch on 31 March due to contractual agreements ending. You’ll need to watch any recordings from this channel before 31 March, as they won’t be playable after this date.“
The notice directs customers to other Paramount Australia-owned channels and platforms to access some of the content, including free-to-air channel 10 Peach, catch-up service 10 Play, and subscription service Paramount+, as well as other content providers.
Other Paramount-owned channels on the platform, such as kids entertainment channel Nick Jr., Nick Music, and MTV-branded music channels (MTV 00’s, MTV 80’s, MTV 90’s, MTV Hits, and Club MTV), are all expected to remain on the service.
Paramount may have other plans for the Comedy Central brand in Australia, similar to its decision in 2023 to end a long-standing agreement with Foxtel for the Nickelodeon channel. This move brought the brand in-house and led to the rebranding of the 10 Shake multichannel.
*10 were approached for comment about this story but did not respond prior to publishing.
