CBS Television Distribution cancels “Judge Joe Brown”

0

CBS Television DistributionJudge Joe Brown, the second highest-rated court show in television syndication after Judge Judy, has been canceled by CBS Television Distribution. Ratings for the 15-year-old syndicated show were dropping, and negotiations on a new deal ended up breaking down, says the Hollywood Reporter.


“We would like to thank Joe for 15 great years,” CBS Television Distribution said in a statement, “as well as executive producer John Terenzio and the entire staff for all their hard work and dedication to the show.”

The cancellation comes after negotiations on a new contract broke down, apparently over Brown’s salary. He reportedly has been making $20 million a year, but CTD was looking to trim his compensation in line with a decline in his ratings.

In the recent February sweeps, Judge Brown had a 2.5 household rating, down 17% from the prior February. He attracted an average of 3.4 million daily viewers, down from an average of 4.1 million last February.

Judge Brown airs on Fox O&O TV stations in many major markets and on stations owned by Sinclair, Lin and others.

At this point, Judge Brown is scheduled to run in original and repeat episodes on the Fox until September, when they will have the opportunity to reprogram his time periods.

Judge Brown may not be done yet, said the story, as he has met with Byron Allen of Entertainment Studios about continuing his show. Allen’s Entertainment Studios has a line up of court shows that includes America’s Court with Judge Ross, We The People With Gloria Allred and Justice for All with Judge Christina Perez.

See the Hollywood Reporter story here