Comedy Central UK to Remain Home for Friends Episodes

LONDON: Comedy Central UK has renewed its deal with Warner Bros. International Television for the exclusive rights to air the entire Friends library.

The two signed an additional four-year contract for the show, which first launched on Comedy Central UK in 2011. Friends regularly attracts some 5.9 million viewers each month for the channel.

Comedy Central is gearing up to host FriendsFest, a week-long event taking place September 16 to 20 in London. The Boiler House on Brick Lane is being transformed into the ultimate Friends experience, including a recreation of the set of Monica's apartment, a slew of original props and memorabilia, and the chance to sit on the iconic orange couch featured in the show. In the run-up to the event, Comedy Central UK is broadcasting all 236 episodes of Friends in order weekdays starting August 24.

Jill Offman, the managing director of Comedy Central UK and senior VP of Comedy International, said: “Friends has become synonymous with Comedy Central in the minds of fans and so I’m thrilled we can continue to deliver them their favorite show. We are also investing in the brand off-air and can’t wait to host FriendsFest, a week-long interactive experience in central London this September.”

Jeffrey Schlesinger, the president of Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution, added: “For 20 years Friends has been one of the most popular and enduring shows in the U.K. This great show continues to run contrary to all the usual trends for long-running sitcoms by not only maintaining a loyal audience but attracting new fans, some of whom were not even alive when it was originally telecast. The performance and renewal on Comedy Central reinforces that Friends continues to be a culturally relevant program making it one of the few reliable hit shows that crosses generational lines and still attracts a large and diverse audience on linear television.”