Comedy Central celebrates five-year anniversary

A new leg of the pro-social campaign Comedy Central Spread the Cheer, exclusive South Park merchandise and world preview of the latest season of Suits are part of the celebrations

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | January 24, 2017

Launched in India on January 23, 2012, Comedy Central is celebrating its fifth anniversary. The channel was the first to venture into the niche genre of comedy as far as English entertainment channels are considered but now it also airs a few drama series like Suits. According to BARC data for week two of 2017, Comedy Central garnered 2.3 million Impressions to come out on the top, followed by Zee Café (1.75 million Impressions) and Star World (1.36 million Impressions).

All set to celebrate in style, the English entertainment channel is giving all its viewers a 'High5'. The channel has planned special programming, a new leg of the pro-social campaign Comedy Central Spread the Cheer, exclusive South Park merchandise and world preview of the latest season of Suits as part of the anniversary celebrations.

Ferzad Palia

Ferzad Palia, Head Youth and English Entertainment Cluster, Viacom18, said, “When we launched Comedy Central five years ago, we were entering into completely virgin territory. Seeing how the channel has now grown to become the country's No 1. English Entertainment channel and a multi-platform brand is proof that quality entertainment will always be appreciated – and I'm not just talking about the viewers who keep coming back for more but also the advertisers who keep believing in us. Staying true to our commitment this year, we plan to focus on bringing the latest seasons of our popular shows and spreading cheer with our initiatives.”

In the second edition of Comedy Central Spread the Cheer, the channel aims to take happiness to the differently-abled, through a special combination of on-air programming and off-air initiatives. In partnership with The Rotary Club, Comedy Central will upgrade the education infrastructure for the visually-impaired in three schools -- Hellen Keller Institute, Victoria Memorial School for the Blind and NAB Centre. This initiative will empower over 500 visually-impaired youth every year, making them employable under the Government's quota for the differently-abled.

The channel has partnered with brands like Costa Coffee, Gold's Gym, Mad Over Donuts, Kidzania and Radio One to roll out special initiatives for the differently-abled across more than 100 outlets and help spread awareness. The channel has also partnered with Give India, enabling the viewers to join the movement and contribute in its own way. As a special gesture, the channel will also be taking 100 differently-abled kids to spend a day at KidZania, Delhi. Viacom 18 is all set to make Vh1 Supersonic India's first ever fully accessible music festival. Thanks to its college-connect programme, some educational institutes will also upgrade their infrastructure and conduct workshops. Comedy Central is also exploring ways to showcase the achievements of differently-abled sportsmen and other achievers, through radio and social media, to encourage the community.

The special birthday programming will include the best episodes of the shows Penn & Teller: Fool Us! In Vegas, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Citizen Khan, Mom and Whose Line Is It Anyway? from Monday to Friday at 8 pm. On Sundays, a 10-hour marathon of Impractical Jokers and F.R.I.E.N.D.S. (all 10 seasons) will be screened.

On Digital media, Comedy Central will host an epic boomerang video contest, where viewers can show off their moves with a five-step dance to celebrate the channel's birthday and win exclusive official merchandise.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com