MTVNI Takes Comedy Central to Hungary

LONDON/BUDAPEST, October 1: MTV Networks International’s
Comedy Central Hungary launched to some 1.5 million cable and satellite homes
today, featuring original local series as well as acquired international fare.

The Hungarian-language channel, aimed at 18- to
49-year-olds, launched with an original, weekly half-hour sketch show called Magyarok
az űrben (Hungarians in Space),
and improvisational show Beugró
(Understudy), which is already well
known in the market.

International shows on the schedule include My Name Is
Earl, Family Guy, Arrested Development and How I Met Your Mother, all airing in Hungary for the first time, plus The
Simpsons, Dharma & Greg, Entourage, Fawlty Towers, Blackadder, My Wife And Kids, Mr. Bean
and The Thin Blue Line.
Additionally, the channel will air Comedy Central hits such as The
Daily Show With Jon Stewart, South
Park and The Colbert Report, dubbed or subtitled in Hungarian.

Bhavneet Singh, the managing director and executive VP for
emerging markets at MTVNI, said: “We’ve enjoyed huge success to date in Hungary
with our MTV and VIVA music brands and the launch of Comedy Central is a
natural next step as we continue to expand our portfolio further still. We are
hoping to introduce a dedicated kids’ service in the near future with the aim
of becoming the leading one-stop shop, multi-genre, multiplatform content provider
in Hungary.”

—By Mansha Daswani