Competitions Heats Up For Syndication Rights to 'New York'

Just a month after its broadcast debut, cable networks are already circling high above CSI's latest freshman show in a bid to take New York back to their nest and on to their programming list.

According to TV Week, various networks are currently weighing up their actions despite the show only having aired three times thus far. "It's funny. You used to buy shows in their second or third season. You and I are having a conversation in their third or fourth week," said the head of one major cable network. Distributor King World has already been sounding out the interested parties, which may include TNT, Spike and A&E, it was rumoured.

Is there a risk of overexposure with this being the third CSI series? "The concept of overexposure only comes into play if the program isn't successful," said Bill Carroll, Vice President of Programming at the Katz Television Group. "If it's successful, it's not overexposed... [however] you're also going to have its kissing cousins Cold Case and Without a Trace in the mix. At some point there's only so much room on the schedule."

Although it might seem very early days for such decisions, CSI: Miami only made its debut this time two years ago – and was snapped up network A&E long before the original CSI: Crime Scene Investigation had made itself a name as a proven show for Spike, a network also owned by CBS parent company Viacom.

CSI is a money-maker for syndication companies because its ratings tend to hold up better in repeat viewings than those of more serialised dramas. "it is a set of closed-ended procedural shows in which a single case is solved each episode," noted one executive. "Knowing the characters, and the events that are playing out in their background, isn't necessary to enjoy the show."

To read the full article, which includes an analysis of a variety of shows and their potential value to cable networks, head over to TV week for the full article. Thanks to Al Forno for this!

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