Comedy Central is an American television network owned by Paramount through the MTV Entertainment Group subsidiary of its Media Networks division. Originally launched on April 1, 1991 as a merger between Time Warner's The Comedy Channel and Viacom's Ha! TV Comedy Network, the channel broadcasts comedic programming including original, licensed and syndicated series, stand-up comedy specials and feature films.
The Comedy Channel
1988 (prototype)
SVG NEEDED
1989–1991
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Cooper Black
Launched:
November 15, 1989
On November 15, 1989 (less than 2 months before it joined forces with Warner Communications, creating Time Warner), Time-Life (which also owned HBO) launched a specialized television network called The Comedy Channel.
On April 1, 1990, Viacom launched Ha! TV Comedy Network in order to compete with The Comedy Channel, with a logo designed by Noel Frankel and illustrated by Lou Brooks for Fred/Alan, Inc. Similarly to its sister networks MTV, Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite (which Fred/Alan also had a hand in developing their brandings), as well as Nick Jr., the logo utilized various different backgrounds centered on the same design, usually various live-action people or animated characters. Despite only lasting for a year, many different IDs were produced (see them here).
CTV: The Comedy Network
April–June 1991
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Futura Extra Bold Condensed
Launched:
April 1, 1991
On April 1, 1991, after two years of limited distribution, both The Comedy Channel and Ha! merged into a single channel known as CTV: The Comedy Network, a result of a partnership between Time Warner's Home Box Office, Inc. and Viacom's Hearty Ha! Ha!, LLC. Multiple variations of this logo were used for its two months.
Comedy Central
June–October 1991
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Kabel Ultra Regular
Launched:
June 1, 1991
On June 1, 1991, the network changed its name to Comedy Central in order to prevent confusion with the Canadian television network CTV (who would incidentally become its Canadian content partner with its launch of The Comedy Network in 1997).
October-November 1991
In October 1991, Comedy Central introduced a new logo, which is a globe with three city buildings on top; this motif would be used for all of the channel's logos for the next 19 years.
The globe was redesigned on November 20, 1991 to better align with the network's visual identity at the time. Initially, this logo was featured on print ads and various promotional materials. It later became the network’s new on-air look on July 2, 1994, as part of a broader brand refresh created by PMcD Design. Prior to 1994, the aforementioned on-air presentation utilized a 3D-rendered version of the globe.
1997–2000
Designer:
H-Gun Labs
Typography:
Custom
Launched:
May 24, 1997
In May 24, 1997, the logo was redrawn to give it a smoother look, with the small hyphen removed from the marquee. This logo was designed by H-Gun Labs and was initially used on promos for South Park before taking effect with its series premiere on August 13, 1997.
On October 30, 2000, Comedy Central unveiled its first major redesign, incorporating a "fresher" version of its logo that removed the transmitter (which was said to "communicate the 1950s broadcast era" by network management). With this rebrand, a new on-air graphics package was developed by Imaginary Forces. This logo was strangely used again in 2022 on the tags of their South Park plushies of that year.
On April 22, 2003, Viacom bought out AOL Time Warner's half of the network for $1.23 billion, ending the joint venture between the two companies and making Comedy Central a wholly-owned entity of Viacom. During that time, programming such as South Park began airing in syndication on TBS, a Warner subsidiary.
2011–present
2011–2018
Designer:
The Lab
Typography:
Brandon Grotesque
Launched:
December 9, 2010 (reveal) January 1, 2011 (official)
On July 29, 2018, the "Comedymark" logo was largely modified, with the wordmark set in a new font and each word no longer being mirrored. The logo and its accompanying on-air graphics package were designed by Loyalkaspar.
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