What is syndication and why did tv shows used to pump out so many episodes trying to get it?
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Most TV shows are produced, at least in part, by a television network. Due to the cost of production, the network wants it to be exclusive to them in order to generate ad revenue from the broadcast. After a few seasons, there is a back catalog of episodes that can be sold to other broadcasters for re-airing. This allows the producers to earn more revenue from the program even after no new episodes are being produced.
so typically, tv shows are exclusive to one network or provider. once it goes into syndication, it basically means that other networks buy the rights to air reruns of that show. so it’s a way for the original producer of the show to continue to make money. in broadcast tv, they usually have a set schedule of when tv shows air, so they need lots of episodes in order to create a daily/weekly schedule for this show. nowadays with streaming, it doesn’t matter as much. any show can be leased to any other streaming provider.
so typically, tv shows are exclusive to one network or provider. once it goes into syndication, it basically means that other networks buy the rights to air reruns of that show. so it’s a way for the original producer of the show to continue to make money. in broadcast tv, they usually have a set schedule of when tv shows air, so they need lots of episodes in order to create a daily/weekly schedule for this show. nowadays with streaming, it doesn’t matter as much. any show can be leased to any other streaming provider.
Most TV shows are produced, at least in part, by a television network. Due to the cost of production, the network wants it to be exclusive to them in order to generate ad revenue from the broadcast. After a few seasons, there is a back catalog of episodes that can be sold to other broadcasters for re-airing. This allows the producers to earn more revenue from the program even after no new episodes are being produced.
Most TV shows are produced, at least in part, by a television network. Due to the cost of production, the network wants it to be exclusive to them in order to generate ad revenue from the broadcast. After a few seasons, there is a back catalog of episodes that can be sold to other broadcasters for re-airing. This allows the producers to earn more revenue from the program even after no new episodes are being produced.
so typically, tv shows are exclusive to one network or provider. once it goes into syndication, it basically means that other networks buy the rights to air reruns of that show. so it’s a way for the original producer of the show to continue to make money. in broadcast tv, they usually have a set schedule of when tv shows air, so they need lots of episodes in order to create a daily/weekly schedule for this show. nowadays with streaming, it doesn’t matter as much. any show can be leased to any other streaming provider.
As I understand it, and I’m sure I’m wrong, some networks would require so many episodes or seasons before a show could be released to syndication. This kind of prevented the production company of double dipping or diluting the audience. If a show went into syndication after one season there would be people watching the new episodes on one channel and another watching reruns on another channel so dividing the audience and the important advertising dollars.
As an example, Star Trek the next generation was produced as a syndicated show. A production company paid for the whole show and sold the episodes to a network. I want to say it aired on CBS but it might have been Fox, but the reruns started on what would be considered the UHF channels, for a lack of a better term, after the first season. The production company did this by selling the episodes below cost knowing the would make it up on syndication. Towards the end of its run it cost over a million an episode which was outrageous at the time. It was selling the episodes for about $800,000 to the network and the $400,000 per episode in syndication making more money overall.
Star Trek:Enterprise was produced by Paramount and aired exclusively on UPN, a network channel owned by Paramount, but was co-produced by another production company. Their contract required 4 seasons before syndication and Star Trek shows made a ton of money in syndication. The business model for this show pretty much counted on hitting syndication. The UPN canceled the show at the end of the 2nd season or midway through the 3rd season. The production company lowered the cost per episode, essentially paying UPN to air the show so they could stay on for a 4th season to hit syndication
TLDR: Syndication is another word for re-run, and that’s how major TV networks made their money on shows.
TV networks make money on ads, selling time on the air to run commercials. Without that revenue the network couldn’t afford to pay anyone let alone the cost of making shows. But you can’t rely 100% on original and new content, you need shows to fill time on the air.
Syndication meant re-airing the same episode of a show over and over again usually in less desirable time slots like during the day or after school.
In this way you could sell ads associated with those slots and make more money on a show that you had already paid for a long time ago. So even though you could sell a single Ad on a new episode during prime time for a lot of money, in the long run you would make far more money selling ads on re-runs of the show.
Syndicated TV shows could also be sold to other networks including foreign stations, getting even more money for the shows you created.
But to have a show available for syndication meant having at least 3 seasons worth so that you could air 5 episodes a week without repeating them for months otherwise it would get boring quick.
Even shows that did poorly would often get a 3rd or 4th lower budget season just to make sure they had enough episodes to air re-runs.
Star Trek is the quintessential example of this. When it was first aired it didn’t do particularly well and the studio fought to get a 3rd season done just to have enough episodes to put it into syndication. Star Trek didn’t become a huge hit until *after* it started being aired in the after school time slot. Unfortunately by that point all of the sets had been destroyed and they couldn’t make any more episodes, leading the short lived animated series and it’s eventual revival with the movies and new shows in the 80s.
As I understand it, and I’m sure I’m wrong, some networks would require so many episodes or seasons before a show could be released to syndication. This kind of prevented the production company of double dipping or diluting the audience. If a show went into syndication after one season there would be people watching the new episodes on one channel and another watching reruns on another channel so dividing the audience and the important advertising dollars.
As an example, Star Trek the next generation was produced as a syndicated show. A production company paid for the whole show and sold the episodes to a network. I want to say it aired on CBS but it might have been Fox, but the reruns started on what would be considered the UHF channels, for a lack of a better term, after the first season. The production company did this by selling the episodes below cost knowing the would make it up on syndication. Towards the end of its run it cost over a million an episode which was outrageous at the time. It was selling the episodes for about $800,000 to the network and the $400,000 per episode in syndication making more money overall.
Star Trek:Enterprise was produced by Paramount and aired exclusively on UPN, a network channel owned by Paramount, but was co-produced by another production company. Their contract required 4 seasons before syndication and Star Trek shows made a ton of money in syndication. The business model for this show pretty much counted on hitting syndication. The UPN canceled the show at the end of the 2nd season or midway through the 3rd season. The production company lowered the cost per episode, essentially paying UPN to air the show so they could stay on for a 4th season to hit syndication
As I understand it, and I’m sure I’m wrong, some networks would require so many episodes or seasons before a show could be released to syndication. This kind of prevented the production company of double dipping or diluting the audience. If a show went into syndication after one season there would be people watching the new episodes on one channel and another watching reruns on another channel so dividing the audience and the important advertising dollars.
As an example, Star Trek the next generation was produced as a syndicated show. A production company paid for the whole show and sold the episodes to a network. I want to say it aired on CBS but it might have been Fox, but the reruns started on what would be considered the UHF channels, for a lack of a better term, after the first season. The production company did this by selling the episodes below cost knowing the would make it up on syndication. Towards the end of its run it cost over a million an episode which was outrageous at the time. It was selling the episodes for about $800,000 to the network and the $400,000 per episode in syndication making more money overall.
Star Trek:Enterprise was produced by Paramount and aired exclusively on UPN, a network channel owned by Paramount, but was co-produced by another production company. Their contract required 4 seasons before syndication and Star Trek shows made a ton of money in syndication. The business model for this show pretty much counted on hitting syndication. The UPN canceled the show at the end of the 2nd season or midway through the 3rd season. The production company lowered the cost per episode, essentially paying UPN to air the show so they could stay on for a 4th season to hit syndication
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