I can break the news and reveal Comedy Central (DStv 122) is dumping Gareth Cliff's Gareth Cliff Show just a month and a half after it launched on the TV channel as a simulcast web show after the internet radio shown on TV experiment failed to attract enough viewers wanting to "listen" and watch it on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform.
TV with Thinus can reveal that Gareth Cliff's last show seen on Comedy Central will be on Monday at the end of the month - 30 June - after it will be gone on the TV channel after 42 episodes.
Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) which runs Comedy Central launched the Gareth Cliff in May on Comedy Central, but moved it to an earlier timeslot from 07:35 to 06:00 after just a month at the beginning of June in a desperate attempt to lift viewership figures.
Comedy Central said the timeslot change of The Gareth Cliff Show after a month was due to viewers' requests for an earlier timeslot but it turns out viewers didn't want to listen/see it earlier - they didn't want to see it at all.
"We are confident that it will do even better in the new earlier timeslot, allowing viewers to watch it at leisure as they get ready for work in the mornings," said Evert van der Veer, the head of Comedy Central Africa, earlier this month - but that confidence was seemingly misplaced.
Comedy Central confirms to TV with Thinus that The Gareth Cliff Show is ending on the channel, and will stop on 30 June.
Comedy Central tells me in response to a media enquiry that it was "a mutual decision" to end it.
Comedy Central says it will still be working with Gareth Cliff on further projects.
Gareth Cliff will be seen again soon on TV on M-Net's Idols where he remains one of the judges for the new 10th season.
