Fox, TBS to syndicate 'Big Bang Theory'

By Georg Szalai

NEW YORK -- News Corp.'s Fox Television Stations group and Time Warner's TBS will share the off-network syndication rights for CBS hit show "The Big Bang Theory" starting in the fall of 2011.

The multi-year agreement will put the show on Fox stations in 10 markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Orlando and Baltimore.

TBS will be the exclusive cable syndication partner.

Financial terms weren't disclosed.

The show is produced by TW's Warner Bros. unit.

"When the top sitcom on television becomes available, you have to take it seriously from both a qualitative and competitive standpoint, which we did," said Frank Cicha, senior vp of programming, Fox Television Stations.

He added that the show "will strengthen our already powerful comedy blocks on the Fox-owned stations."

" 'The Big Bang Theory' is already a tremendous hit among young adult viewers, making it an ideal fit for TBS’s lineup," said Michael Wright, executive vp, head of programming, for TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies.

Added Ken Werner, president, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution: " 'The Big Bang Theory' presents an increasingly rare proposition for broadcast stations and cable services: the chance to acquire a traditional, multi-camera, A-tier comedy that is still expanding its audience on network television and which is poised for continued growth in future seasons, making it an asset that will only increase in value for Fox and TBS for years to come."