Oxygen, USA Acquire 'Glee,' 'Modern Family'

NBCU places its bets on last season's hottest shows

By Paige Albiniak -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/29/2010 1:00:21 PM

Twentieth Television has sold this year's two hot rookie shows - Glee and Modern Family - to cable networks owned by NBC Universal. Glee will go to Oxygen and Modern Family to USA, each for a fall 2013 start, sources confirmed this morning.

Deadline.com's Nellie Andreeva first reported the deal early this morning (June 29).

The deal came about after NBCU made preemptive offers for both shows last week, forcing Twentieth to take Modern Family to the cable market earlier than expected, and pushing potential buyers to scramble to place bids. Oxygen reportedly is paying approximately $500,000 an episode for Glee, and gets the rights to air a Glee-related reality show looking for the next Glee cast member that will air in June 2011. The singing hit will join Oxygen's line-up with a weekend marathon of the second season in January 2011, as the show hits the middle of its third season on Fox.

"This is a unique syndication opportunity and we're thrilled to be working on it with Oxygen," said Steve MacDonald, Twentieth's EVP and general sales manager, basic cable, in a statement released this afternoon. MacDonald spearheaded the deal for Twentieth. "This deal not only provides viewers with the opportunity to see even more of the drama, comedy, song and dance that they have come to expect from Glee, but also extends the reach of this pop-culture phenomenon's brand through a new reality series."

"Glee is the No. 1 hit show for women 18-34 and Generation O is obsessed with it," added Jason Klarman, President, Oxygen Media, in the same statement. "It's ‘Live Out Loud' in every way," referencing Oxygen's tagline.

USA paid as much as $1.4 million an episode for Modern Family, report sources, just under what TBS paid for Warner Bros.' The Big Bang Theory at $1.5 million. TBS allegedly bid $1.1 million for Modern Family, but was caught off guard by NBCU's preemptive offer.

That price represents top-dollar for an off-net sitcom, although many syndication executives say they wonder if Modern Family could have gotten even more money had Twentieth waited a few more months and marketed the show more thoroughly. Still, studios often prefer to lock deals in early, and that certainty combined with a financially attractive offer likely motivated Twentieth. 

Under terms of the deal, USA has the rights to strip the show Monday-through Sunday starting in fall 2013, which is also when the show is expected to premiere in broadcast syndication. Those deals haven't started yet, and are expected to begin early next winter.

"This is one of the most exciting deals to date for USA," said Jane Blaney, EVP of program acquisitions and scheduling, in a statement. "Arguably one of the most successful shows on television, Modern Family couldn't be a better fit for the network. The winning combination of terrific writing, a strong ensemble cast and cultural relevance align perfectly with the Characters Welcome brand and the audience we continue to attract."

"Modern Family is an incredible comedy series driven by a strong ensemble cast, which we think will be an excellent complement to USA Network's slate of character driven programs," said MacDonald.

Glee is executive produced by Ryan Murphy and airs on Fox. Modern Family is executive produced by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd and runs on ABC.