Comedy Central Goes HD

NEW YORK, January 14: Comedy Central’s new HD service launches today on Cablevision, followed by Cox and DIRECTV later this month, with additional providers to be added throughout the year.

The all-comedy HD network will offer around 200 hours of programming, including some 30 episodes of South Park, the first two seasons of The Sarah Silverman Program and a number of stand-up specials. Also on the slate are a range of acquired films and specials.

New seasons of South Park and Reno 911, along with the premiere of Kröd Mündoon and The Flaming Sword of Fire, will all be presented in native high definition. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report will initially be upconverted for Comedy Central HD, but will be broadcast in native HD in the future.

"Comedy Central’s viewers are some of the earliest adopters of new technology and when they are not consuming content on the go, either online or on their phones, many of them are sitting in front of a high-definition television, making programming decisions based on what’s on in their high-def tier," said Michele Ganeless, the president of Comedy Central.

—By Kristin Brzoznowski