‘Simpsons’ Reruns Sold to Cable Channel FXX…for One Billion Dollars!

In one of the biggest syndication deals in television history, The Simpsons are finally headed to basic cable.

Of course, right now you're probably thinking, really? The Simpsons has never been on cable? Are you sure?

Well yes, I am. Back when The Simpsons first went to syndication—it was 1993, Bill Clinton was president, and he hadn't even met Monica Lewinsky yet—the marketplace for the show was quite different. Though it was a huge hit, it was in a weaker position when it came to bargaining for a syndication deal because the show tended to do poorly up against regular old live-action comedies. Thus, whereas shows like Seinfeld could be sold to multiple outlets, the only way the show's creators could sell syndication packages was to grant "exclusivity" to the stations licensing it. And that meant no cable deals.

Now, however, the television marketplace is different, with multiple channels—such as TBS or Adult Swim—plus online streaming services who would kill for The Simpsons to anchor their comedy lineup. And Fox Television cashed in.

Apparently the bidding for rights to The Simpsons episodes was "spirited," and although the terms of the deal were not disclosed, analysts say the final price had to be between $1 million and $2 million per episode. That means the total package is worth at least half a billion dollars.

So what does FXX get? They get rights to over 500 episodes, which means they can run an episode every day for a year and not hit a re-run. They also get exclusive rights to stream the show, which means you won't be seeing Homer and the gang on Netflix any time soon.

D'oh!

[via]