Syndication wide open, where's the game shows?

[rwalker]

Phil, Rachel,  Mathis,  Milian. To name a few. Gone this fall

TTD didn't sell, what about Person place or thing? Anything new being shopped?

[BillCullen1]

There was talk of Trivial Pursuit hosted by LeVar Burton, but I haven't heard anything on that.

[BrandonFG]

The last few years a Fox syndicated game that started as a summer trial series usually makes the fall lineup the following year. “25 Words”, “Pictionary”, and I might’ve forgotten another one. So I’d expect “People, Place, or Thing” this fall.

Unfortunately, I also think affiliates will only opt for more local news and community talk shows. There’s also not too many sitcom reruns. Personally I don’t get the point of turning Channel 7 or 13 into CNN Lite, but it saves the station thousands if not millions, so that will prolly become the new normal.

[That Don Guy]

The last few years a Fox syndicated game that started as a summer trial series usually makes the fall lineup the following year. “25 Words”, “Pictionary”, and I might’ve forgotten another one. So I’d expect “People, Place, or Thing” this fall.

Unfortunately, I also think affiliates will only opt for more local news and community talk shows. There’s also not too many sitcom reruns. Personally I don’t get the point of turning Channel 7 or 13 into CNN Lite, but it saves the station thousands if not millions, so that will prolly become the new normal.

How common are sitcom reruns before, say, 5 PM?

And don't remind me about community talk shows; one of those kept The Price is Right off the air in San Francisco for most of the late 1970s and mid-late 1980s.

[BrandonFG]

\
How common are sitcom reruns before, say, 5 PM?

I don't think I've seen "new to syndication" reruns before 5 since the late-90s. Nowadays they usually air in prime access.

[Chelsea Thrasher]

Because syndication is functionally dead in most meaningful contexts and the bean counters know it.

Between broadcast and streaming, fewer and fewer people are producing anything for syndication, which has not had a single bona fide hit since Steve Harvey took over Feud. Thirteen years ago. The "best" new shows have been middling to low, and most new syndie programs have been abysmal in the books in most markets.

In an era where most high profile TV viewing is "event" based (new streaming drop, the weekly Thursday-Friday rush to watch whatever Star Trek is doing on Paramount+, live sports, etc etc), syndication is in the worst possible positioning.

If you say "watch this 8pm where you live, or next day on [streamer]", okay fine. The sports game that's at 7pm ET, so that's 4 out west? Fantastic, just tell me where.  But viewers (ESPECIALLY viewers under 50) have collectively decided that outside of a half dozen remaining legacy shows, "watch at 7pm on the CW in Seattle, 4:30pm on FOX in Chicago, if you're in Nashville it's a 10:30am on NBC, and if you miss it at that one random time, screw you forever (and oh hey, 10 minutes of unskippable ads per hour on a service you have to pay for because only 10% of local TV viewers watch via antenna)" is an absolute non-starter. And production companies know there's no money in it AND stations can recognize there's probably not going to be viewers in it - except for when there's dealings going on with O&Os or secondary revenue streams streams (Drew Barrymore for example struggles on traditional TV but does a TON on social and streaming).

FOX still does a little bit as they're both a production house, have the largest network of O&Os, don't have a non-news cable arm anymore, and are FAR less invested in streaming than ABC/CBS/NBC's parent companies, and have more time to fill and affiliates more accustomed to filling it. But even those aren't lighting the books up even remotely.

[ChrisLambert!]

I don't think I've seen "new to syndication" reruns before 5 since the late-90s. Nowadays they usually air in prime access.

Our CBS affiliate has a .2 that runs ‘10s-‘20s sitcoms from 1-6, but that’s obviously a non-standard situation.

[Stackertosh]

Judge Judy,Muary,Jerry Springer (Talk Show) still show reruns. I wonder if they going to rerun them next fall.


I would love to see some of the ABC reboots go into syndication (Press Your Luck,Pyramid)

[Jimmy Owen]

Reruns of talk shows won't last long before viewers start getting deja vu.

[PYLdude]

Reruns of talk shows won't last long before viewers start getting deja vu.

Jerry Springer says hi.

No prize.

[Dbacksfan12]

FOX still does a little bit as they're both a production house, have the largest network of O&Os, don't have a non-news cable arm anymore

Perhaps I’m misunderstanding your post…what about FS1 and FS2?

[colonial]

It was reported back in December that GSN and Debmar-Mercury planned to offer episodes of "People Puzzler" in syndication. All of the episodes will have aired on GSN if it pops up in syndication this fall.

Fox may consider "Person, Place or Thing" for a full season next fall. Fox is also trying out a quiz from TMZ called "Who the Bleep Is That" this month on its 12 O&Os.

As far as LeVar Burton's "Trivial Pursuit," he again mentioned at a fan convention late last year that the series is "in development" and may premiere "in 2023" but that's all that's been said.

As others have mentioned, the daytime genre is grinding to a halt when it comes to new series. Nothing has been an all-out hit since Steve Harvey took over "Feud." For anything new on syndication to succeed these days, they need to have a streaming element -- Drew Barrymore's talk show has reportedly done quite well on Pluto TV, for instance. I believe the games on the Fox O&Os air on Tubi.

It's slim pickings on daytime TV these days. I can't imagine any of these longer news blocks or pay-for-play shows are doing well ratings-wise, but the stations get ad money from them (but we may be reaching a tipping point with that as well -- aging audience, little success with streaming, a worn-out workforce making little money to do the work of three people, etc.). It's nothing more than background noise.


JD

[PYLdude]

FOX still does a little bit as they're both a production house, have the largest network of O&Os, don't have a non-news cable arm anymore

Perhaps I’m misunderstanding your post…what about FS1 and FS2?

That’s what I was saying. Those are still under the control of Rupert Murdoch.

[Bob Zager]

Fox may consider "Person, Place or Thing" for a full season next fall. Fox is also trying out a quiz from TMZ called "Who the Bleep Is That" this month on its 12 O&Os.

JD

"Who the Bleep Is That," begins it's test run tomorrow March 6!

[TimK2003]

^^ Speaking of the television news genre, the talent pool is shrinking as well.

Much like what happened in radio in the last couple of decades, owners are either not renewing the contracts of their top tenured talent or they are taking big salary cuts.

In the small market "farm league" stations, the overall quality of up and coming news talent has really gone down as the starting salaries for most of these positions is at or near minimum wage. And compared to 15-20 years ago, these college grads are now doing the work of 2 or 3 people for that minimum wage.

Living in a bottom-40 TV market, the ones I've seen with potential to "make it" in the business, leave the business for more higher-paying jobs in other occupations.  Most of those who remain in these bottom markets and climb the ladder look like they skipped their requisite college broadcast courses and sound terrible on the air.  They are slowly making their way into the medium market stations.

Also in these smaller markets, they are struggling to fill their schedule.  They don't have the budget nor the talent do do news all day like the larger markets, so they rely on double and triple runs of syndicated fare over one or all of the multiple stations they have.  Usually airing the first run syndicated show in the morning on Channel A, then rerunning them on Channel B in the afternoon, filling in the rest of the day with "best of" syndicated shows from years past.

I do see TV stations, especially those not affiliated with the big 4 networks and also those in the smaller markets, changing significantly in the years to come or even closing up shop since there is no profits to be made.  Much like radio of late, there is only so much a station can trim (budgets, talent, programming,...) before the audience bails and the profits dry up.