U.S. satirist Jon Stewart renews TV contract

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Political satirist Jon Stewart has renewed his contract with the Comedy Central cable TV channel in a deal that will keep his award-winning mock newscast "The Daily Show" on the network through 2010.

Financial terms of Stewart's renewal, announced on Thursday by the Viacom Inc.-owned network, were not disclosed.

In addition to hosting "The Daily Show," Stewart, 44, serves as executive producer and writer for the nightly program, which has skewered politicians and the media, particularly on the conservative end of the spectrum, since its 1996 launch.

Stewart joined "The Daily Show" as its host in 1999, replacing Craig Kilborn.

The Emmy-winning series also spawned the companion show "The Colbert Report," starring former "Daily Show" contributor Stephen Colbert in a parody of right-wing TV commentators.

Colbert this week announced he was making a bid for the U.S. presidency.

Stewart was picked last month by producers of the Academy Awards to return in February as emcee of the film industry's highest honors, further cementing his transformation from a political humorist with a cult TV following into a mainstream entertainer. He first hosted the Oscars in 2006.

His late-night cable show averages about 1.5 million viewers, a relatively small number by broadcast television standards, but the show has grown in stature as a pop culture fixture, particularly among young viewers.

In a 2004 poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 21 percent of respondents aged 18 to 29 cited "The Daily Show" and "Saturday Night Live" on NBC as regular sources for their political news.