C4 drops sitcom after 15 years

Channel 4 is to stop airing Friends after 15 years – leaving a huge hole in E4’s schedule.

The digital channel airs 23 hours of the sitcom every week: three hours on weekdays and four on weekends.

Comedy Central has picked up a deal on the repeats, giving it exclusive rights for four years from October 2011.

C4 says the move – along with its recent decision to axe Big Brother – will free funds to develop new British content and buy new American shows.

Gill Hay, Channel 4’s head of acquisitions said: ‘After 15 years, 10 hit series and 236 terrific episodes it’s time to say goodbye to old Friends and welcome new ones, in the form of more comedy, drama and entertainment from the US and UK.

‘We are incredibly proud to have been the home of Friends for so long, but at a point when the channel is undergoing a period of creative renewal it felt like the right time to part company.’

Comedy imports across the Channel 4 group include Glee, The Cleveland Show, The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother.

Published: 10 Feb 2010