MUMBAI: US broadcaster Comedy Central has given pick-up orders to three new, original series. The ultimate Roastmaster taking aim at everyone and everything; a reviewer living on the edge no matter the cost; and an advocate who tries to use his business prowess to help save struggling companies and people in need., it was announced by the channel?s head of original programming and production Kent Alterman.

The series pick-ups include ?The Burn? starring the ?Roastmaster General? Jeff Ross; ?Review with Forrest MacNeil? starring Andrew Daly and ?Nathan For You? starring Canadian writer-comedian, Nathan Fielder.

In ?The Burn", Ross will be joined by a group of fellow comics to skewer the week?s hot topics and head into the field to take aim at public figures and current events. Known as the ?Meanest Man in Comedy? by New York Magazine and ?an heir apparent to such old-school masters as Buddy Hackett and Rodney Dangerfield,? by The New York Times, Ross has appeared in the last nine Comedy Central Roasts and authored the book, ?I Only Roast the Ones I Love: Busting Balls Without Burning Bridges,? that was released in 2009.

Alterman said, ?Jeff embodies comedy past and comedy future simultaneously, and we are excited to be in the present with him?.

Ross said, "Thank you Comedy Central. My mission is clear. To rip the world a new asshole one crack at a time. I can?t wait to get started."

?Review with Forrest MacNeil? is a half-hour comedy starring Daly as ?Forrest MacNeil.? Unlike typical critics who review boring things like films, food or art, MacNeil reviews the most intense experiences of life itself?by living them. He reviews anything his TV audience throws at him: the adrenaline rush of stealing, the trauma of divorce, the harrowing effects of murder, the wonder and joy of anonymous sex and stops at nothing to show us what any and every experience in life feels like. And, for viewer?s convenience, he rates every adventure on a scale of zero to five stars. MacNeil?s unwavering commitment to his work means his answers to life?s most challenging questions often come at the expense of his wife, his children, his co-workers and humanity in general.

Alterman said,?I know Andy Daly?s wife and I want to assure her that contrary to the documentary style of the show, it is fictional?.

Daly said, "This show will be a great service to society. If you?re thinking about cheating on your spouse or murdering someone, please wait until we review it so you can avoid the pitfalls and enjoy the experience."

?Nathan For You? is a half-hour comedy starring Canadian writer-comedian Nathan Fielder. Armed with a business degree and drawing from his limited life experiences, Nathan gives advice to real people and struggling businesses each week. Thinking that his business background gives him carte blanche to help real businesses and people in all walks of life, Nathan?s unorthodox approach usually does more harm than good. Nathan is to small businesses what Gordon Ramsay is to floundering restaurants. Only much much worse.

Mumbai: Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) The Americas has announced the broadcast launch of Comedy Central Latin America across the region starting 1 February.

The announcement was made by Vimn MD The Americas Sofia Ioannou at the annual conference and exhibition of the National Association of Television Program Executives (Natpe),

The global, multiplatform entertainment brand includes standard and high-definition channels, on-demand video, mobile services and a strong online component, which was unveiled in November 2011 to wide acclaim.

The initial phase of the on-air launch, with a distribution of 10 million subscribers across the region, includes key markets in Latin America, like Mexico through Cablevision Mexico and affiliated PCTV Systems (Productora y Comercializadora de Television por Cable S.A de CV); Sky, Via Embratel, OiTV and Neo TV in Brazil; as well as coverage in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Venezuela.

Ioannou said, "VIMN?s mission is to take world class brands and content and deliver them in culturally and geographically relevant ways, and the launch of Comedy Central in Latin America is the latest example of this. This strategy strengthens the ongoing dialogue we have with our clients and affiliates in the region and broadens our portfolio to now include a new, multi-platform, comedy entertainment brand for the young-adult demo."

The new pan-regional comedy entertainment brand will present content, including US programming from Comedy Central, acquisitions, original programming, stand-up, local productions, sketches, animation, series and movies.

The channel will be able available in both Spanish and Portuguese for their respective markets and offer the adult audience a fun and enjoyable entertainment experience with internationally renowned series, such as ?Happily Divorced?, ?The Exes, ?South Park?, as well original productions like ?La Familia del Barrio? and ?The Spooky Show?.

MUMBAI: Viacom18 will launch Comedy Central, the sixth channel from the stable, on 23 January.

With the launch of the channel, Viacom18 will mark its presence in another under-served genre ?English comedy. "Given its rich library of world class shows and distinct positioning, we are confident of Comedy Central establishing itself as one of the dominant players in the English entertainment space in Indian television," said Viacom18 group CEO Haresh Chawla.

The channel?s brand philosophy, developed internally, is ?Laugh It Off?. The TG is 15+ SEC, A,B Metros.

Comedy Central expects to be available in 20 million homes, across analogue and digital cable and DTH platforms. On DTH, it will be available on Dish TV and Airtel Digital TV initially, but within two months the aim is to be on all the direct-to-home (DTH) platforms.

Viacom International Media Networks president, CEO Bob Bakish said, ?Comedy Central is one of Viacom?s most distinct and successful franchises globally. We feel that the time is now right for Viacom18 to introduce Comedy Central in India, given the growth curve in the Indian television entertainment market.?

Viacom was planning to get Comedy Central to India for quite a while now. Said Viacom18 Media senior VP, GM English entertainment Ferzad Palia, ?The time is right partly due to the spread of digitisation and also because people at this time are stressed. They are open to comedy and to laughing at themselves. Exposure to international content is growing as people increasingly travel.?

The programming will be a mix of sitcoms, sketch comedy, British comedy, stand ups and gags. Some of the shows the channel will air include Daily Show with John Stewart, South Park, Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, The Office and Seinfeld. Movies will eventually air during the weekends.

Local shows will form part of the content strategy. ?There will be something for everyone. Among other things, we will develop our own talent which we would take overseas to give them a wider platform.?

For the youth, South Park will air a block called Cinderella Hour at midnight. Shows like Fawlty Towers, Allo Allo will air on the weekend where people have more time on their hands. ?Unlike other channels that mainly run marathons to allow viewers to catch up on the weekend, Comedy Central will also have premieres. In terms of the channel?s overall content, around half of it will be fresh,? said Palia.

Comedy Central has no plans to introduce a dubbed language feed as the nuances of comedy are difficult to translate. ?The channel will, however, have subtitles,? said Palia.

The business model for the channel will be led by advertising, followed by subscription. ?Many advertisers today want to own humour as a platform. We will ask advertisers how they want to use us. We will create packages and interaction mechanisms. Our relationship with advertisers will take the form of activities and doing on-ground events with them among other things,? said Palia.

In India, Viacom18 is planning to take the brand beyond the television screens and is planning to have live events and merchandising.

The launch will be backed later by an extensive marketing campaign. ?Besides television, print, outdoor, other touchpoints will be created including gyms, salons, cafes, cinema halls. 500-600 touch points will be there including in places where one might not expect it like hospitals and chemists through things like prescription pads. We have tied up with Religare Wellness,? averred Palia.

New media will be used as a brand extension. ?We will be present on YouTube, Twitter, etc. We will also have a dial in service on the mobile. The success will rest on how much people interact with the channel. It is not about how it fares in eight weeks. This is a long term commitment,? said Palia.

BBH is the creative agency while Vizeum is the media agency for the channel.

?We are confident that Comedy Central will carve out its own space within no time. All Viacom18 channels are doing extremely well,? said Bakish.

Viacom18 already airs Hindi general entertainment channel Colors, youth channel MTV, kids channel Nick, English entertainment channel Vh1 and has recently launched action channel for young audience ? Sonic.

Initially launched in the US in 1991, Comedy Central started global expansion late 2006. At present, Comedy Central has localised channels in Poland, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Hungary, Sweden, Ireland, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Israel and Spain.

MUMBAI: Trey Parker and Matt Stone have reached a new deal with US media conglomerate Viacom?s channel Comedy Central to extend cable?s longest-running animated series, ?South Park?.

The announcement was made by Comedy Central president Michele Ganeless. The deal for three additional seasons ensures the series will have original episodes through 2016 and a milestone 20th season. Parker and Stone will continue to write, direct and edit every episode of ?South Park?, as they have since the premiere of the series in 1997.

Ganeless said, "The collective genius of Matt and Trey knows no bounds. Week after week and season after season they continue to surprise and delight ?South Park? fans, and that includes all of us here at Comedy Central. We?re thrilled that the adventures of Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman will continue through 2016."

Parker and Stone said, "Comedy Central has been our home for 15 years and we love working there. ?South Park? is a blast and we can?t wait to make more."

MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Viacom has announced that fourth quarter revenues increased by 22 per cent to $4.05 billion.

Adjusted Operating Income grew by 27 per cent o $1.06 billion, reflecting a significant increase in profitability in the film segment and double-digit growth in the media networks segment. Fourth quarter adjusted net earnings increased by 33 per cent to $614 million.

Consolidated revenues for the year increased by 12 per cent to $14.91 billion, with significant contributions from both media networks and film. Full-year adjusted operating income grew by 13 per cent to $3.85 billion, reflecting higher ad and affiliate revenues in Media Networks.

Full-year adjusted net earnings from continuing operations attributable to Viacom rose 22 per cent to $2.25 billion and full-year adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations increased 25 per cent to $3.78. The company also announced an expansion of stock repurchase programme to $10 billion from $4 billion.

Viacom executive chairman Sumner M. Redstone said, "Viacom‘s performance in fiscal 2011 once again illustrates the value of our focused strategy and strong leadership. Viacom‘s powerful brands are enhanced by operational and financial discipline, which continues to drive our results and build value for shareholders."

Viacom president, CEO Philippe Dauman said, "2011 was an outstanding year, highlighted by significant creative milestones, strong topline growth and expanded profitability across every division of Viacom. Creatively we are at the top of our game, powered by unique audience insights and connections, coupled with consistent investment in innovative programming at our marquee media networks, including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, and BET. Paramount Pictures is benefiting from a disciplined franchise-centric approach that has produced an unprecedented number of hits in the domestic and international box office.

In terms of quarterly revenues media networks contributed $2.29 billion in revenues, an eight per cent gain over the same period last year, driven principally by growth in ad and affiliate revenues. Both worldwide and domestic ad revenues rose by seven per cent in the quarter. Worldwide affiliate revenues increased 11 per cent to $883 million, driven largely by rate increases.

Film revenues grew 46 per cent to $1.79 billion, principally due to the strong performance of ?Transformers: Dark of the Moon? in theatrical and home entertainment markets, as well as higher ancillary revenues, due in part to availability of titles for digital distribution.

For the year media networks delivered $814 million of the increase, reflecting a 10 per cent gain in ad revenues to $5 billion and a 12 per cent gain in affiliate fees to $3.52 billion, which more than offset a two per cent decline in ancillary revenues. Domestic advertising revenues rose 10 per cent. Domestic affiliate revenues increased 12 per cent, largely as a result of rate increases, as well as the availability of programming for digital distribution arrangements.

Film revenues increased 15 per cent to $5.92 billion, driven by sharply higher theatrical and ancillary revenues, as well as increased television license fees, which were partially offset by lower home entertainment revenues. The size and strength of the film slate were the primary drivers of a 58 per cent increase in theatrical revenues, while ancillary revenues rose by 48 per cent, principally reflecting the sale of distribution rights and digital revenues.

Quarterly adjusted operating income rise was driven by a 10 per cent increase in the media networks segment and a triple-digit gain in the film segment. Higher results in the media networks stemmed primarily from increases in domestic advertising and affiliate revenue, partially offset by higher programming investments. Film profits were driven by the strong performance of ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon‘.

Full-year adjusted operating income increase was driven by higher adjusted operating income of $467 million in media networks, principally reflecting increased revenues, partially offset by higher expenses. Film adjusted operating income was substantially flat. Adjusted full-year 2011 results exclude the impact of the current year restructuring charges, while the adjusted results for prior year exclude the impact of asset impairment.

Quarterly adjusted net earnings‘ increase reflects higher adjusted operating income and a lower effective tax rate. Full-year adjusted net earnings from continuing operations attributable to Viacom increased 22 per cent to $2.25 billion in 2011, primarily due to the increase in tax-effected adjusted operating income and higher equity income principally from Epix, which generated income this year, compared with a loss in 2010. Full-year 2011 adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations increased $0.76 to $3.78.

Stock Repurchase Programme: For the quarter ended 30 September, 2011 Viacom repurchased 19.7 million shares under its stock repurchase programme for an aggregate purchase price of $900 million. During the year ended 30 September, 2011 Viacom repurchased 55.7 million shares for an aggregate price of $2.5 billion. As of November 9, 2011, Viacom had $7.22 billion remaining in its $10 billion stock repurchase programme.