June 27, 2007 - For Immediate Release
CTV and Comedy Central strike Deal for Laughs
Toronto, ON (June 27, 2007) - Canadian broadcaster CTV and Comedy Central have concluded a comprehensive, multi-year content deal between CTV and the Viacom-owned (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) cable network, it was announced today by Susanne Boyce, CTV President of Programming and Chair of the CTV Media Group and Michele Ganeless, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Comedy Central.
Toronto, ON (June 27, 2007) - Canadian broadcaster CTV and Comedy Central have concluded a comprehensive, multi-year content deal between CTV and the Viacom-owned (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) cable network, it was announced today by Susanne Boyce, CTV President of Programming and Chair of the CTV Media Group and Michele Ganeless, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Comedy Central. The multi-platform deal delivers exclusive broadcast and digital rights (including Broadband, Video-On-Demand and Mobile) to the entire Comedy Central program slate and allows CTV to program the content across any number of platforms in Canada, including on its leading specialty channel The Comedy Network.
The deal provides CTV access to all Comedy Central programming, featuring more than 200 hours of current series, including full episodes of the Emmy® and Peabody® Award-winning series The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and South Park, The Colbert Report, The Sarah Silverman Program, Lil' Bush, Mind of Mencia, RENO 911!,The Showbiz Show with David Spade, Drawn Together and the soon-to-premiere American Body Shop. In addition, CTV retains the rights for the complete Comedy Central back catalog of programs. (See "Highlights of the Deal" below).
For CTV's The Comedy Network, access to the complete Comedy Central slate of programs is the perfect complement to its own award-winning slate of homegrown programs featured as part of its 65% Canadian program commitment in prime time. Today's news also crystallizes a long-standing relationship between itself and Comedy Central and provides a wealth of new and existing programming immediately available for broadcast, and over the coming months in time for the new Fall Season, on its recently re-launched, broadband-equipped web site at
www.thecomedynetwork.ca.
As part of the deal, all Canadian-based web traffic to Comedy Central's on-line assets will be geo-gated and re-directed to The Comedy Network's www.thecomedynetwork.ca. These assets include: www.comedycentral.com, www.southparkstudios.com, www.jokes.com, and www.colbertnation.com.
"Comedy Central has an undeniable track record for being on the leading edge of funny," said Boyce. "With this new strategic content deal in place, CTV gets exclusive access to a vast supply of top comedy titles, plus the flexibility to program them to viewers on the platform of their choice. It's a winning deal for Canadians coast-to-coast."
"This deal builds on a longstanding and great relationship between two of the preeminent comedy networks and expands our association with CTV into the digital landscape, maximizing the value of our distinctive content and making the Comedy Central brand available to our northern neighbors anywhere and everywhere they want it," said Ganeless.
"The Comedy Network offers an unrivalled slate of original Canadian productions, and armed with this deal, we are better able to deliver Canadians a schedule to die (laughing) for," said Ed Robinson, CTV Senior Vice President of Comedy and Variety Programming and General Manager of The Comedy Network.
"We're building on the success of our homegrown digital slate by introducing some of Canada's favourite imports. Now, established Comedy Network hits like The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, South Park and more, are extended for the first time across all five platforms in Canada," said Kris Faibish, CTV Vice President of Digital Media. "Catch up or grab them anytime. You drive."
Faibish revealed that as part of CTV's developing digital strategy, some programs may be launched as broadband, mobile or VOD exclusives.
Highlights of the Deal
Television
* Exclusive access to all Comedy Central programming, including more than 200 hours of current Comedy Central branded original programs, such as the full roster of episodes from The Daily Show, The Colbert Report and South Park. In addition, CTV secures the rights for the complete Comedy Central back catalogue of programs.
Online and Broadband
* Exclusive online and broadband rights to full episodes, plus all clips, shorts, wallpapers, ring-tones and other online content created for The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, South Park along with other current series and the Comedy Central back catalogue, plus all original broadband and online content created for comedycentral.com, where cleared for Canada.
VOD
* Exclusive rights to The Daily Show, The Colbert Report and South Park along with other current series and back catalogue programs where cleared for Canada.
MOBILE
* Exclusive rights to full episodes of The Daily Show, The Colbert Report and South Park along with other current series and back catalogue programs, plus all clips, shorts, wallpapers, ring-tones and other online content created for these programs, access to more than one thousand clips and all other Comedy Central mobile content cleared for use in Canada.
About CTV
CTV, Canada's largest private broadcaster, offers a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming. It has the number-one national newscast, CTV National News With Lloyd Robertson, and is the number-one choice for prime-time viewing. CTVglobemedia Inc. is Canada's premier multi-media company which owns CTV Inc. and The Globe and Mail. CTV Inc. also owns radio stations across the country and leading national specialty channels. Other CTVglobemedia investments include an interest in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, and in Dome Productions, a North American leader in the provision of mobile high definition production facilities. More information about CTV may be found on the company website at
www.ctv.ca.
About The Comedy Network
Canada's first-and-only specialty comedy service, The Comedy Network airs comedy of all kinds, 24-hours-a-day, across multiple platforms, including a revolutionary broadband service at thecomedynetwork.ca. Launched in October 1997, The Comedy Network broadcasts, uncut and uncensored, an eclectic mix of scripted, stand-up, sketch, improv, and animated comedy - as well as topical comedy talk shows, game shows and classic situation comedies. Offering an unrivalled slate of original Canadian programming, The Comedy Network reinvests nearly 50 per cent of its revenues into home-grown productions. The Comedy Network, a division of CTV Television Inc., is available to nearly 6 million households across the country. Visit The Comedy Network's website at thecomedynetwork.ca.
About Comedy Central
Comedy Central, U.S. television's only all-comedy network, is a 24-hour, advertiser-supported, basic cable comedy service available to over 91 million viewers nationwide and is the #1 network in primetime among men 18-24 and men 18-34 as well as a consistent Top Ten-rated network among all adults 18-49. With on-air, online and on-the-go mobile technology, Comedy Central gives its audience access to the cutting-edge, laugh-out-loud world of comedy wherever they go. Hit series include The Sarah Silverman Program, RENO 911!, The Colbert Report, Mind of Mencia, Lil' Bush and the Emmy® and Peabody® Award-winning series The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and South Park. Comedy Central is also involved in producing nationwide stand-up tours, boasts its own record label and operates one of the most successful home entertainment divisions in the industry. Comedy Central is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of Viacom Inc.'s (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) MTV Networks. For more information visit Press Central, Comedy Central's press-only website, at
www.comedycentral.com/press or the network's consumer site at
www.comedycentral.com.
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