Broadcast syndication

Broadcast syndication is a business practice used in television and radio. It involves content owners leasing the rights to broadcast their programs to various stations. This happens without the content needing an official broadcast network to air it. In the United States, this system is very common because programming is often scheduled by networks through local independent affiliates. Most other countries do not use this model as widely. They often rely on centralized networks or stations that lack local affiliates. However, shows can sometimes be syndicated on an international scale.

There are three primary types of syndication used in the industry. First-run syndication involves programming that is broadcast for the very first time as a syndicated show. These programs are often created specifically to be sold directly into syndication rather than for a specific network. Off-network syndication is what people often call "reruns." This is the licensing of a program that previously aired on a television network. Public broadcasting syndication serves as a parallel service for member stations of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). This model resembles a news agency where competing networks share resources and rebroadcast each other's work.

The mechanism of syndication relies on a specialized company called a syndicator. A syndicator is a distribution company that attempts to license a show to one station in every media market. They may also target commonly owned station groups within a country or even internationally. There are different ways these deals are structured. A station might pay cash to purchase the rights to local advertisements. Alternatively, they might use a system called "barter." In a barter deal, the syndicator receives access to airtime in exchange for the program. This allows the syndicator to collect the advertising revenue themselves.

Off-network syndication follows a specific timeline and pattern. A show usually enters this stage after it has produced about four seasons of content. This typically equals between 80 and 100 episodes, though some genres may only require 65 episodes. Reruns are frequently found on stations affiliated with smaller networks like The CW Plus or MyNetworkTV. These smaller networks often have less network-provided daytime television than the "Big Four" networks. Successful syndication is a powerful financial tool. It can cover production costs and generate significant profit even if the show's initial network run lost money.

History shows that syndication helped fill gaps in early television schedules. In the early days, networks did not provide a full day of programming for their affiliates. As the number of stations grew in the 1960s, independent stations needed flexible content to fill their schedules. Ziv Television Programs became a major first-run syndicator during the 1950s. They created famous series such as The Cisco Kid, which was filmed in color. Other notable Ziv hits included Sea Hunt and Highway Patrol. As networks began syndicating their own reruns in the late 1950s, the first-run syndication market shrank for about a decade.

Modern syndication is highly efficient due to changes in station ownership. Since the 1970s, regulations have allowed for more station ownership concentration. Today, syndicators often license programs to large station groups rather than individual stations. Seven "key" station groups include Nexstar Media Group and ABC Owned Television Stations. Other major groups include NBC, CBS, Fox, Telemundo, and Televisa Univision. By securing deals with these groups, syndicators can gain access to massive markets like New York City and Los Angeles. This strategy allows them to achieve widespread national clearances very quickly.

Syndication also offers unique creative and structural differences from network television. Producers often enjoy more freedom because they do not have to follow a network's standards and practices departments. This can lead to more innovative ideas being explored. Additionally, syndicated programs often have reduced running times to allow for more commercials. For example, a standard 22-minute sitcom might be shortened to 20 minutes for syndication. Despite these changes, top-rated syndicated shows in the U.S. can reach a domestic market penetration of 98%. Even when people worried that reruns would kill a show, syndication actually increased the popularity of series like Law & Order.