[MarkWaldorf]

Channel 4 has ended its deal with Warner Bros for the rights to air US comedy Friends.

The broadcaster has shown the series, which starred Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courtney Cox and Matt Le Blanc, for 15 years. The station's contract with Warners ends in 2011.

Comedy Central has picked up the rights to the NBC series, according to Broadcast.

Friends ran for ten series between 1994 and 2004, with the final episode drawing 8.6 million viewers in the UK. It has remained a daily staple on both Channel 4 and E4, with average viewing figures of around 400,000.

Head of Channel 4 acquisitions Gill Hay said: "After 15 years, ten 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."

Friends is the latest big show to finish airing on Channel 4, following the axing of Big Brother, Wife Swap and How Clean Is Your House?. The station has claimed that the decisions will allow them to "refresh the schedule".

- DS