sentences:  An affiliate of the MTV Network until then, Comedy Central decided, in part due to the success of "South Park", to have its own independent sales department.By the end of 1998, Comedy Central had sold more than $150 million worth of merchandise for the show, including T-shirts and dolls.Over the next few years, Comedy Central's viewership spiked largely due to "South Park", adding 3 million new subscribers in the first half of 1998 alone and allowed the network to sign international deals with networks in several countries.