TBS Gets Pre-Syndication My Name Is Earl Airings

TBS, has signed a deal with Twentieth TV for an exclusive window to My Name Is Earl 18 months before it becomes available to stations in off-network syndication. Twentieth has pitched Earl to the Fox and Tribune station groups since June, when TBS signed its first deal. TBS plans to premiere My Name Is Earl twice a week in primetime, beginning April 1, drawing on episodes from earlier seasons. In the fall of 2009, these runs will be folded into the daily plays of Earl, which TBS will share with the TV stations. The parties declined to discuss the additional license fee TBS will pony up for the pre-syndication runs, but the network forked over about $625,000 an episode for “Earl” in the original deal.