Fox Funny (formerly 111 funny, pronounced as "triple one") is an Australian
pay television
Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to Subscription business model, subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichan ...
channel focused on airing popular American
sitcoms
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use new ...
from the mid-2000s to present, complementing the 1980s–2005 schedule of sister network
Fox Comedy
Fox Comedy is a television network, launched by the Fox Networks Group, which airs in Poland and Portugal. Its basic programming include numerous comedy series and films.
It was launched in Italy on November 1, 2014, Poland on January 16, 2015, an ...
.
History
On 24 October 2008, the channel was launched with a promo loop on Foxtel as 111 Hits, running in
16:9 widescreen
Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than t ...
in a run-up to its official 1 November 2008 launch as a companion to
The Comedy Channel
The Comedy Channel (promoted on air as comedy) is a defunct Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, and Optus Television. The channel ceased broadcasting on 1 September 2020.
History
A joint venture between Artist Servi ...
. Its first programme was a special edition of ''
Countdown
A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
'' with guests
Jenna Elfman
Jennifer Mary Elfman (née Butala, born 1971) is an American actress. She is best known for her leading role as Dharma on the ABC sitcom ''Dharma & Greg'' (1997–2002), for which she received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Televisi ...
and
Jermaine Jackson
Jermaine La Jaune Jackson (born December 11, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and bassist. He is best known for being a member of the Jackson family. From 1964 to 1975, Jermaine was second vocalist after his brother Michael of The Jackson ...
.
On 1 March 2009, the channel became available to Austar subscribers.
The
timeshift channel
A timeshift channel (sometimes referred to as a +1 channel) is a television channel carrying time-delayed reruns of its "parent" channel's programming. This channel runs alongside their parent: the term "timeshift" does not refer to a network br ...
111+2 launched 15 November 2009.
After a revised logo and branding campaign rolled out over the holidays of 2013, the channel's name was officially shortened on 1 January 2014 to 111 with the launch of
TV Hits
Fox Crime is an Australian subscription television channel primarily screening crime drama television series. The channel launched on 7 November 2019, replacing TVHits.
History TVHits (2014–2019)
In August 2013 it was announced Foxtel had f ...
.
After only four months, on 20 April 2014, it was rebranded to 111 Greats, before reverting simply to 111 on 1 August 2015. The channel launched on
Fetch TV
Fetch TV is an Australian IPTV provider that delivers a subscription television service over a user's regular internet service. Fetch TV launched in 2010 backed by its Malaysian parent Astro Malaysia Holdings. On 2 August 2022, Telstra acquire ...
at the end of February 2017.
On 7 November 2019, 111 funny was rebranded as Fox Funny as part of Foxtel's rebranding and takeover of several networks.
An HD feed of the network was launched with the rebranding.
Programming
Programming primarily consists of American sitcoms from
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
,
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
,
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production and distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures Entertainm ...
, and
CBS Studios International
Paramount Global Distribution Group or Paramount Global Content Distribution is the international television distribution arm of American media conglomerate, Paramount Global, originally established in 1962 as the international distribution divis ...
.
As 111 launched, programming was slowly revealed through promotions on other Foxtel channels, with presenters discussing a show and their memories of it.
At launch, a majority of its shows were moved from
Arena
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
,
FOX8,
The Comedy Channel
The Comedy Channel (promoted on air as comedy) is a defunct Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, and Optus Television. The channel ceased broadcasting on 1 September 2020.
History
A joint venture between Artist Servi ...
,
TV1 and
Fox Classics
FOX Classics is an Australian cable and satellite channel that specializes in showing television series and ad-free classic movies, themed movie nights and miniseries from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
History
FOX Classics began as ...
.
On 1 January 2014, with the addition of
TV Hits
Fox Crime is an Australian subscription television channel primarily screening crime drama television series. The channel launched on 7 November 2019, replacing TVHits.
History TVHits (2014–2019)
In August 2013 it was announced Foxtel had f ...
following the closure of
TV1, there was a change in direction to the networks catalogue of programs, with a large amount of newer material (mainly sitcoms and dramas) moved from ''111 Hits'' to ''TV Hits''. As a result, ''111 Hits'' was shortened to ''111''. New additions to programming (which were previously shown on TV1) included classics such as ''
Cheers
''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...
'', ''
Frasier
''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Case ...
'', and ''
Get Smart
''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s, with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, an ...
'', as well as newer shows such as ''
Rules of Engagement
Rules of engagement (ROE) are the internal rules or directives afforded military forces (including individuals) that define the circumstances, conditions, degree, and manner in which the use of force, or actions which might be construed as pro ...
''.
On 1 November 2015, the network changed its focus solely to sitcoms. This saw the sitcoms which were moved to ''TV Hits'' the year prior returned and the removal of drama programming (with a large majority moved to other Foxtel-owned channels).
With the rebrand to Fox Funny, the channel removed sitcoms from the 80s and 90s (which moved to sister channel
Fox Comedy
Fox Comedy is a television network, launched by the Fox Networks Group, which airs in Poland and Portugal. Its basic programming include numerous comedy series and films.
It was launched in Italy on November 1, 2014, Poland on January 16, 2015, an ...
) and became home to more recent sitcoms from the 2000s and 2010s.
Former programmes
See also
*
Subscription television in Australia
Subscription television in Australia is provided using technologies such as cable television, satellite television and internet television by a number of companies unified in their provision of a subscription television service. Notable actors in ...
References
External links
Official website
{{Subscription television channels in Australia
Television networks in Australia
English-language television stations in Australia
Foxtel
Television channels and stations established in 2008
2008 establishments in Australia