Comedy Central Sees Highest Rated Quarter in Two Years

Flying in the face of industry trends and declining PUT levels, Comedy Central completed its fiscal year as one of only three Top 20 cable networks to grow or maintain year-over-year ratings levels. The #1 brand in comedy, which finished the year strong with a +3% increase in primetime among Adults 18-49 for the recently-completed quarter, ended the fiscal year with a 0.185 rating in total day among the key demographic, precisely flat to the 0.185 A18-49 rating for its prior fiscal year.

Additional highlights for the 2018 fiscal year and fourth quarter include:

FY2018:

• Comedy Central grew share in total day among A18-49 by +6% vs. FY2017, earning its largest share in the demographic since FY2015.
• Share among A18-49 was up/flat vs. year ago levels in each quarter of 2018 and Comedy Central has grown or maintained share in the demo vs. year-ago levels in each of the last 18 months, the network's longest streak in over ten years.
• Total day ratings among Women 18-49 were up +13% (.154 rating), Comedy Central's largest year-over-year growth with W18-49 since 2004, leading Comedy Central to its highest-rated year in the demo since FY2014.
• Comedy Central was barely beaten by sister-net, BET, as the two fastest-growing entertainment networks among W18-49.

F4Q2018:

• Comedy Central grew primetime ratings among A18-49 by +2% (.284 rating) and A18-49 share by +8%, earning the network its highest rating among A18-49 since F2Q2017 and largest share in the time period since F2Q2015.
• F4Q2018 marked Comedy Central highest-rated quarter in total day among A18-49 (0.188 rating) since F1Q2017 and largest A18-49 share since F2Q2015.
• Comedy Central earned its best total day rating among W18-49 (.161 rating) for a quarter since F1Q2015.

Finishing the fiscal year and quarter on a high note, South Park's Season 22 premiere (September 26) was the most watched cable comedy telecast of the year among Adults 18-49 (+1.70) and Men 18-49 (+2.34).*

On the digital front, Comedy Central registered massive growth during the fiscal year, with nearly 4.7 billion videos (8 billion minutes of content) streamed across digital and social platforms in FY2018, marking year-over-year increases of +63% and +57%, respectively. For the quarter (4Q2018), streams were up +105% (1.4 billion views) vs. prior fiscal year and watch time was up +130% to 2.6 billion minutes.**

Looking ahead, Comedy Central has a stacked year to offer fans with a programming slate that will feature new and returning series including: the premieres of scripted half-hour series The Other Two and South Side; sketch-comedy series Alternatino with Arturo Castro; stand-up series This Week at the Comedy Cellar and The New Negroes; new series from Jordan Klepper and Anthony Jeselnik; along with the final season of Broad City, the return of the critically acclaimed Corporate, and new seasons of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Tosh.0, Drunk History, THE JIM JEFFERIES SHOW and much, much more.

Comedy Central gives audiences access to a world of super funny, personally relatable, culturally relevant, and provocative comedy that tells the funny truths of life, every day and everywhere. From award-winning late-night, scripted and animated series to stand-up specials, short-form and sketch, Comedy Central has it all. A subsidiary of Viacom Inc., Comedy Central is available to more than 300 million households in over 150 countries across the globe.

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