‘TMZ Live’ Reupped By Fox TV Stations

Fox TV Stations has renewed Warner Bros.’ newsmagazine TMZ Live with host and executive producer Harvey Levin in 15 of its 18 markets, including on WNYW New York and KTTV Los Angeles, through the 2016-17 season. Warner Bros. is selling the show to other station groups for fall 2014.

“This deal to extend TMZ Live on the Fox Stations is the culmination of an extremely successful strategic roll out,” said Ken Werner, president of Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, in a statement. “Harvey and his team set out to create, develop and refine a completely new genre of show, incubating it as a live Internet-based show and then successfully transitioning it to television.

“TMZ Live has emerged as a top-ranked talk show in the Fox markets among both women 25-54 and adults 25-54 and has proven its versatility, pairing successfully with other talk shows, news, magazines and court shows,” Werner added.

On the show, Levin and other TMZ staffers talk with viewers on Skype and on the phone about the day’s celebrity news and gossip. The spinoff of TMZ got a test run in March 2012 on KTTV Los Angeles.

Since then, it has expanded to WNYW New York, WFLD Chicago, WTXF Philadelphia, KDFW Dallas, WFXT Boston, WTTG Washington, WAGA Atlanta, KRIV Houston, WJBK Detroit, KSAZ Phoenix, WTVT Tampa, Fla., KMSP Minneapolis, WOFL Orlando, Fla., and WJZY Charlotte, N.C.

“Besides its merit as a strong stand-alone program, TMZ Live accomplishes two important things for us,” said Frank Cicha, SVP of programming at Fox Television Stations. “First, it enhances one of our top first-run brands. Second, it breaks out of the traditional syndication model, which is clearly in need of an overhaul.”