‘The Simpsons’ Lands $750 Mil Cable, VOD Syndication Pact with FXX
NOVEMBER 15, 2013 | 09:00AM PT Cynthia Littleton Editor-in-chief: TV@Variety_Cynthia
Deal for 530-plus episodes of enduring Fox toon marks largest off-network sale ever
Homer and Co. are in rolling in dough: Fox’s Twentieth Century Fox TV and Twentieth TV have set a massive first-ever cable syndication and VOD sale of “The Simpsons” to FX Networks’ new outlet FXX that is worth more than the Gross Domestic Product of some small nations.
With 530 episodes and counting, the sale is conservatively valued at upwards of $750 million over the life of the deal. Deal also calls for the vast archive of “Simpsons” segs to be available on VOD via the soon-to-launch authenticated FXNow mobile viewing app — which is sure to be a draw for the service as “Simpsons” segs have never been widely distributed online and have never been on any SVOD platform.
The prospect of “Simpsons” going to cable stirred a frenzy among buyers, with competitive bids fielded by Turner Broadcasting, USA Network, Viacom cablers and Tribune for WGN America. Keeping the deal in the Fox family makes strategic sense for 21st Century Fox as it looks to build up the profile of FXX, the comedy spinoff of FX that bowed in September. And the final pricetag for the deal was undoubtedly set at market rates given the certainty that “Simpsons” profit participants, including creator Matt Groening and exec producer James L. Brooks, had reps scrutinizing the bidding process.
The FXX and FXNow will have access to the past 24 seasons of “Simpsons” starting in August. The following month the show’s current 25th season will become available. It’s unclear how many episodes will be made available at any given time on FXNow. FXX is expected to stack six to eight episodes on one or two nights, probably in thematic packages, rather than air them across the week as in traditional syndication.
“Simpsons” has been in broadcast syndication for 20 years but was unable to set a cable sale due to restrictions set with local stations back in the early 1990s. Nor has Fox’s syndication arm been able to profit from barter time in the show, which makes the cable/VOD payday all the sweeter for 20th Century Fox TV and Twentieth TV.
“Simpsons” segs have also been relatively unexposed even in broadcast TV because of the length of the time the show has been on the network. Local stations have run out of rights to air older seasons of the show even as they get access to the most recent episodes after the conclusion of the first-run broadcast season.
The pact between FX and Twentieth took more than a month to negotiate and was principally handled by FX’s Chuck Saftler and Chris Antola with Twentieth TV’s Steve MacDonald and Greg Meidel.
“The Simpsons is indisputably one of the greatest shows in television history,” said FX Networks CEO John Landgraf. “We are honored to have it associated with FX Networks and FXX. This was a very long, hard and complicated negotiation and I credit the relentlessness and diligence of Chuck Saftler for getting it done. I also want to thank Gary Newman and Dana Walden at TCFTV, and Greg Meidel and Steve MacDonald at Twentieth Television. Most important of all, I want to thank Jim Brooks, Matt Groening and Al Jean and everyone at Gracie Films for this new partnership.”
Saftler said, “Woo Hoo! The Simpsons is the crown jewel of television and the longest-running, most successful comedy series in television history, which is testament to the amazing talents of Jim Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, and the Gracie Films team. This is a historic deal for FXX and FX Networks and I don’t believe there will ever be another one like it.” Saftler negotiated the deal for FXX and FX Networks along with Chris Antola, Senior Vice President of Strategic Programming, FX Networks.
The Simpsons long ago crossed over from ‘brilliant award-winning comedy series’ to ‘full-fledged cultural phenomenon,’ and this landmark deal is a testament to its enduring power and relevance,” remarked 20th Century Fox TV Chairmen and CEO’s Gary Newman and Dana Walden. “Matt, Jim and Al continue to deliver one of the most ingenious creations of the modern era, and we could not be more excited that the ever growing library of more than 500 episodes will now be available to FXX viewers. The passion for this property from John, Chuck and everyone at FX was overwhelming, and we are grateful to Greg, Steve and Lori Bernstein in constructing this complicated and groundbreaking deal.”
http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/the...ble-vod-syndication-pact-with-fxx-1200837036/
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