VIMN to Debut Comedy Central Extra in Adriatic Area

July 31, 2012 World Screen Top Stories

LONDON/BELGRADE: Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) is going to premiere Comedy Central Extra in Serbia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Herzegovina and Croatia.

Comedy Central Extra, geared toward adults aged 18 to 34, will launch on August 1 and will be distributed by SBB-Telemach Group in Serbian, Croatian and Slovenian. The new 24-hour channel will feature programming such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, South Park, Comedy Roast with Charlie Sheen and Workaholics.

“Extending the Comedy Central brand around the world is a top priority for VIMN,” remarked David Lynn, the executive VP and managing director for VIMN in the U.K., Australia and Central Eastern Europe. “In-depth research into the market, combined with the huge success of South Park on MTV Adria, indicates that a new, specialized comedy destination will be very well received across the region. Comedy Central Extra is the perfect complement to our existing youth and entertainment service. I’m delighted to be collaborating with our long-term distribution partner, SBB on our latest comedy launch, as we focus our efforts on enhancing and diversifying the entertainment experience for local audiences across the Adriatic markets.”
 
Dragica Pilipovic Chaffey, the CEO of SBB, added: “We are very excited to provide our customers with an opportunity to laugh with the high quality and world famous comedy channel. Quality entertainment is a demand of the market, and we feel honored to be the one to introduce smash hits such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Workaholics, as well as broadcasting South Park to audiences across Adria, as we are sure that they will have a great time exploring the channel.”
 
In other news, VIMN’s has made international deals involving Comedy Central titles such as Comedy Roast, Workaholics, Tosh.0 and South Park.
 
The Philippines’ CPI has agreed to a number of Comedy Roast shows, including those focusing on Donald Trump, Joan Rivers, David Hasselhoff, William Shatner and Charlie Sheen.
 
New seasons of Tosh.0 have been picked up by Australia’s Foxtel, which also signed for Workaholics, along with Spain’s TNT and France’s Lagardere. 

TV2 in Norway made a deal for the 16th season of South Park and has relicensed the show’s first 15 seasons. Finland’s Jim TV added seasons 14 and 15, while the Czech Republic’s Fanda took on all 16 seasons of the series. Additionally, FOUR in New Zealand picked up South Park’s 15th season and has relicensed seasons 11 and 12.