Turner Taking Comedy to Super Deluxe

Turner plans to bring more comedy online with Super Deluxe, a free ad-supported broadband channel offering original comedy content and community features.

Turner Broadcasting, already in the broadband channel game with its CNN Pipeline and GameTap offerings, has anounced it plans to roll out an origianl comedy broadband channel dubbed Super Deluxe in January, 2007. Super Deluxe will be a free, ad-supported broadband offering featuring original comedy content from both established and up-and-coming comedy stars, as well as community features and tools to build an interactive, social environment.

“Today, the online comedy experience is largely comprised of random clips and homemade movies contained within a generic experience,” said Drew Reifenberger, who will serve as senior VP and general manager. “Super Deluxe is focused on original, ‘television-quality’ programming, presented with a distinct editorial voice and in a highly interactive and social environment. It will deliver an experience more akin to watching your favorite TV show with friends—hanging out and sharing a laugh.”

Super Deluxe will carry original programming in the forms of episodic series, sketches, short films, and more; offerings will spotlight each comedy artist with their own personalized, customizable area including exclusive content, a blog, and ways to keep their fans in the loop on their projects and appearances. Super Deluxe content will be available online, as well as via video-on-demand cable services, wireless devices, and for download to personal media players.

Super Deluxe also aims to be a social hangout, offering community tools which enable fans to interact with the comedy artists, form groups, send messages, express their own senses of humor, and create their own profiles, complete with user-generated video and content.

OK, stop me if you’ve heard this one: A cell phone, a PDA, and an MP3 player walk into a bar…