It's Time to Celebrate! The Comedy Network Rings In Its 15th Birthday With Record Ratings

- The 2011/2012 broadcast year is the most-watched in Comedy history -
- September 2012 saw the highest monthly audience ever for the channel -

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TORONTO, Oct. 17, 2012 /CNW/ - It's an anniversary to remember! The Comedy Network celebrates its 15th birthday today on the heels of its best season ever. The 2011/2012 broadcast year is the most-watched in Comedy history, and the channel has grown 12% in total viewers compared to 2010/2011. Comedy has also experienced growth in the key demo A18-49 for the broadcast year, increasing its audience by 14% over 2010/2011. In addition, September was the most-watched month in the channel's history. Almost 3 million viewers tuned into Comedy on a daily basis in September 2012.

Also in September 2012, Comedy ranked as the #1 specialty channel for A18-24. Among non-sports specialty networks, Comedy is the #2 channel for A18-34 and M18-34, third in the key demo A18-49, and is #4 with total viewers, increasing its ranking by six spots compared to the 2011/2012 broadcast year.

**Media Note** - Download photography for The Comedy Network at BellMediaPR.ca/Comedy

Comedy was given the gift of the most-watched non-sports specialty broadcast of all time in September 2011, as 1.8 million Canadians watched THE ROAST OF CHARLIE SHEEN. Sheen's new sitcom ANGER MANAGEMENT also had Comedy viewers laughing, with the series becoming the #1 debut in Comedy history with 310,000 viewers.

The ratings momentum has continued for Comedy in October with almost half a million Canadians watching comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham's standup special JEFF DUNHAM: MINDING THE MONSTERS, making it the #1 special on Comedy this broadcast year to date for total viewers and in the key demos A18-49 and A25-54. Comedy's reboot of the classic game show MATCH GAME had Canadians filling in the blanks on Monday night. With host Darrin Rose and regular panellists Seán Cullen and Debra DiGiovanni, 543,000 Canadians played along with the premiere episode.*

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About The Comedy Network
Canada's first and favourite specialty comedy service, The Comedy Network airs comedy of all kinds, 24-hours-a-day, across multiple platforms, including a revolutionary broadband service at thecomedynetwork.ca. Launched in October 1997, The Comedy Network broadcasts, uncut and uncensored, an eclectic mix of scripted, stand-up, sketch, improv, and animated comedy - as well as topical comedy talk shows, game shows, and classic situation comedies. The Comedy Network is a division of Bell Media, which is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company, and is available in nearly six million households across the country.

Source: BBM Canada, Rankings based on Canadian Commercial Specialty
* 11 a.m., 4 p.m., and 8 p.m. airings

SOURCE: Comedy Network

Christy Sullivan, The Comedy Network, 416.384.3624 or [email protected]