Comedy Central International Greenlights Short-Form Digital Shows

Viacom’s Comedy Central International is expanding its programming, greenlighting five new short-form digital shows exclusively made for Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, the Comedy Central Play app and the Comedy Central U.K. website.

Claire McArdle, vp comedy development for Comedy Central International, announced the new content on Thursday.

The digital-only slate includes Bad Snappers and Totally Reported, both recently debuted, and the upcoming Josh Investigates, Hotline Tings and Absolutely Fine. 

“We’re heavily investing in a diverse slate of short-form content across our digital platforms, such as Snapchat, YouTube and Facebook, and exploring new ways to work with emerging and established talent,” said McArdle. “It allows us to reach our audience where they are already consuming content, and it gives us the continued opportunity to foster and grow our talent relationships within the Comedy Central International family.”

Here is a closer look at the shows.

Bad Snappers
The show debuted on Feb. 14 and features up-and-coming female comedy duo Georgie Fuller and Danni Jackson, also known as the Cramps. It is centered on 10 sketches of 60 seconds each that deal with inappropriate social media use. Two episodes premiered on Comedy Central International Snapchat Discover, YouTube and Facebook with over 1 million total views across all platforms in its first week. It also premiered in Germany, Australia, Switzerland and the Middle East on select digital platforms, with the likes of Latin America, Brazil, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy confirmed to have premieres at a later date. 

Totally Reported
The series debuted two pilot episodes on Feb. 16. It features cocky reporter Lennon McJonathyn in a show where all news is fake news as he investigates “the most underreported stories from around the globe.” The pilots are a Comedy Central International collaboration with Ryan Coopersmith and Charles Muzard of Boo Ya Pictures, which debuted internationally on YouTube, Facebook and online on Comedy Central U.K.

Hotline Tings
It “takes the confessional to the next level by giving the public a number to call and having them describe their craziest anecdotes from the real world, before animating their tales and sharing them online.” The series will include 10 episodes of 90 seconds each made for Comedy Central International Snapchat Discover and three-minute versions made for Facebook, YouTube, Comedy Central U.K. and the Comedy Central Play app. 

Josh Investigates
The digital series sees South African YouTube star Josh Pieters investigating “the most pressing issues of the day.” Viewers can find out if he can make his way through baffling statistics and expert interviews to get to the heart of weighty topics like sex, religion and the paranormal. The series will debut six 90-second episodes on Comedy Central International Snapchat Discover and six four-minute episodes for YouTube, Comedy Central U.K. and the Comedy Central Play app.

Absolutely Fine
The show follows British comedian and star of Plebs and Friday Night Dinner Tom Rosenthal on awkward run-ins with everything from Uber drivers to amorous pensioners chatting up his girlfriend. The series will premiere five four-minute episodes on YouTube and online on Comedy Central U.K.     

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