NBCUniversal announced Friday that entertainment magazine show “Access Hollywood” would be coming to a close after a run lasting nearly 30 years.
The move comes as a result of the network pulling the plug on original production for first-run syndication, which will also affect talk shows like “Karamo” and “The Steve Wilkos Show.”
“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, said in a release obtained by Variety.
“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. These shows have provided audiences with great talk and entertainment content for many years and we’re very proud of the teams behind them.”
In first-run syndication, producers such as NBCUniversal sell TV shows to stations on a market-by-market basis rather than distributing them across a single network platform, according to Variety.
Stars such as Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Phil McGraw, Rosie O’Donnell, Ellen DeGeneres and most recently Kelly Clarkson found massive success with the format.
“But the tumult wrought by streaming and other changes have made it hard for big players to justify the investment amid diminishing returns,” Variety reports.
NBCUniversal previously announced that “The Kelly Clarkson Show” would also wrap up after seven seasons this year.
“Access Hollywood” is in the midst of its 30th year and is hosted by Mario Lopez, Kit Hoover, Scott Evans and Zuri Hall.
“Karamo,” hosted by Karamo Brown, is in its fourth season.
Now in its 19th season in national syndication, “The Steve Wilkos Show” is currently the second-longest-running daytime talk show in current production.
“I think it’s symptomatic that the economics have changed,” Frank Cicha, the head of programming for Fox TV Stations, told Variety last month.
“The levels of audiences that these shows were garnering just couldn’t justify the cost.”
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