Comédie+
| Company type | Subscription television channel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television broadcasting |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Headquarters | France |
Key people | Dominique Farrugia |
| Products | Comedy television programming |
| Parent | MultiThématiques (a division of Groupe Canal+) |
Comédie+ (initially known as Comédie!) is a French subscription-based television channel focusing exclusively on comedy since its inception in 1997. The channel is overseen by Dominique Farrugia, who was previously part of the comedy group Les Nuls.
History
The channel debuted as Comédie! on 29 November 1997, accessible through Canal Satellite and cable platforms. It was dedicated to Bruno Carette, an actor and comedian from Les Nuls who passed away in 1989. Its daily program, La Grosse Émission, played a significant role in launching the careers of comedians such as Cyril Hanouna, Kad Merad, and Olivier Baroux. This show aired until June 2002 and was later revived between 2015 and 2016. Additionally, it served as inspiration for the prime-time special La Très Grosse Emission broadcast on Canal+ in 2016.
In 2003, ownership transferred to Pathé, which repositioned the channel as a compact generalist humor network with daily programming commencing at 8 a.m. Subsequently, Pathé sold the channel at the end of 2004 to multiThématiques, a division of Groupe Canal+.
Although Comédie+ was initially selected in 2005 to join the pay-TV digital terrestrial television (TNT) lineup, this authorization was subsequently withdrawn.
On 1 July 2015, Comédie+ upgraded its broadcast quality to HD, coinciding with Canalsat’s complete transition to MPEG-4 technology. A year later, on 1 July 2016, the channel was removed from Numericable following loss of exclusivity due to SFR’s fiber-optic service offerings; however, it has been accessible via SFR TV since March 2019.
In August 2018, Canal+ introduced a premium comedy channel tailored for the African audience on Canal+ Afrique, which was replaced by Canal+ Pop on 30 September 2021.