Sizing Up the Market
By Staff -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/12/2004
NATPE is almost upon us, but the list of new first-run shows available for purchase remains short. The majors are mainly cleared—NBC Enterprises' The Jane Pauley Show, Paramount's The Insider, Twentieth's On Air With Ryan Seacrest, which launches today—while the laggards have some catching up to do.
Universal still hasn't assigned names to its two shows, which at press time remained the Untitled Jennifer Lopez Project and the Untitled Lifestyle Project. Although the business no longer revolves around the NATPE marketplace, it's getting a little late in the game for launching shows.
Sony has been very focused this year and is bringing two new first-run shows to NATPE: Life & Style and Pat Croce: Moving In. So far, the syndicator has announced no clearances for either and still faces the hurdle of finding a launch group. Buena Vista also will be looking for clearances for its new talker, The Tony Danza Show.
Warner Bros. is forgetting about launching something new this year and focusing instead on getting renewals and upgrades for The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Sharon Osbourne Show. Ellen should be a breeze, with NBC already on board for another year, but Sharon looks wobbly, with its future depending largely on whether Tribune wants to keep it or boot it.
| Program | Distributor | Type | Terms | Launch |
| On Air With Ryan Seacrest | Twentieth | hour strip | cash + barter | Jan. 2004 |
| The Tony Danza Show | Buena Vista | hour strip | cash + barter | Fall 2004 |
| The Insider | Paramount | half-hour strip | cash + barter | Fall 2004 |
| The Jane Pauley Show | NBC Enterprises | hour strip | cash + barter | Fall 2004 |
| Pat Croce: Moving In | Sony | half-hour strip | barter | Fall 2004 |
| Life & Style | Sony | hour strip | cash + barter | Fall 2004 |
| Untitled Lopez show | Universal | hour strip | cash + barter | Fall 2004 |
| Untitled lifestyle show | Universal | strip | to be determined | Fall 2004 |
| Show | Syndicator | Type | Terms | Launch |
| According to Jim | Buena Vista | half-hour sitcom | cash + barter | Fall 2006 |
| Alias | Buena Vista | weekend hour | barter only | Fall 2005 |
| Bernie Mac | Twentieth | half-hour sitcom | cash + barter | Fall 2005 |
| Fear Factor | NBC Enterprises | hour strip | TBA | Fall 2004 |
| George Lopez | Warner Bros. | half-hour sitcom | cash + barter | Fall 2005 |
| Girlfriends | Paramount | half-hour strip | cash + barter | Fall 2004 |
| Grounded for Life | Carsey-Werner | half-hour sitcom | cash + barter | Fall 2005 |
| Malcolm | Twentieth | half-hour strip | cash + barter | Fall 2004 |
| My Wife and Kids | Buena Vista | half-hour sitcom | cash + barter | Fall 2005 |
| One on One | Paramount | half-hour sitcom | cash + barter | Fall 2005 |
| Reba | Twentieth | half-hour sitcom | TBA | Fall 05 or 06 |
| Sex and the City | HBO | half-hour sitcom | cash + barter | Fall 2005 |
| 24 | Twentieth | weekend hour | TBA | Fall 2005 |
| Twilight Zone | New Line | half-hour strip* | barter only | Fall 2004 |
| Yes, Dear | Twentieth | half-hour strip | cash + barter | Fall 2004 |
| TBA = to be announced *Also available as a weekend hour. |
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