NBCUniversal is stepping away from the first-run syndication business, a move that will bring several of its daytime staples to an end — including Access Hollywood, Karamo, and The Steve Wilkos Show. First-run syndication refers to a TV distribution model where shows are sold directly to local stations across the country rather than airing on a single national network, meaning the same program can air at different times depending on the market.
The decision reflects the growing challenges facing traditional daytime television as audiences continue shifting toward streaming platforms, digital video, and on-demand content.
Under the new plan, NBCUniversal will wind down original production for its first-run syndicated programming division. Access Hollywood — which launched in 1996 to compete with Entertainment Tonight — will continue producing new episodes through September. Meanwhile, Karamo and The Steve Wilkos Show have already finished production on their current seasons, though new episodes will continue airing through the summer.
The move follows NBCUniversal’s earlier announcement that The Kelly Clarkson Show will also end later this year after seven seasons, marking another major shift in the daytime talk landscape.
For decades, first-run syndication was one of television’s most profitable models. Instead of airing on a single network, producers sell syndicated programs directly to local stations on a market-by-market basis. The format helped build massive daytime brands for hosts like Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Phil McGraw, Rosie O’Donnell, and Ellen DeGeneres.
But the economics of the model have changed dramatically as linear TV audiences continue to decline. With viewers increasingly turning to YouTube, podcasts, and streaming services for entertainment and commentary, the audience levels that once supported big-budget syndicated talk shows have become harder to sustain.
“The levels of audiences that these shows were garnering just couldn’t justify the cost,” Fox TV Stations programming head Frank Cicha previously told Variety when discussing the shrinking daytime market.
NBCUniversal said its decision was made to better align with what local stations are now prioritizing in their programming strategies.
“NBCUniversal is making changes to our first-run syndication division to better align with the programming preferences of local stations,” Frances Berwick, chairman of Bravo and head of Peacock unscripted at NBCUniversal, said in a statement. “The company will remain active in the distribution of our existing program library and other off-network titles, while winding down production of our first-run shows.”
While NBCUniversal is leaving the production side of first-run syndication, its distribution arm — NBCUniversal Syndication Studios — will continue handling the company’s library and off-network titles. That includes established programs such as Dateline NBC, Law & Order, and Chicago P.D..
The syndication unit itself traces back to the 2004 merger that combined NBC Enterprises and Universal Domestic Television Distribution after NBC and Universal Pictures joined under the same corporate umbrella.
NBCUniversal’s exit highlights the broader transformation happening across daytime television. Once a financial powerhouse driven by huge audiences and advertising dollars, first-run syndicated talk has struggled for years as viewing habits continue shifting away from traditional TV.
With NBCUniversal now stepping away from producing these shows entirely, the move could signal further changes ahead for the daytime syndication model across the industry.