ION Scores Psych, Monk, House

NEW YORK: ION Television has picked up the off-network rights for Psych, Monk and House in a deal with NBCUniversal Domestic Television Distribution.

The agreement includes the previous six and future seasons of Psych, marking the first time the show has been syndicated on a broadcast network. All eight seasons of Monk are headed to the network. The hit medical drama House joins ION starting in fall 2012, to air twice a week for one year.

The trio join ION Television’s prime-time schedule along with the popular off-net series Without a Trace, Criminal Minds, Ghost Whisperer and ION’s first original police drama, Flashpoint.

“We’re very pleased to be in business with NBCUniversal Domestic Television Distribution by having award-winning, high-quality series from Universal Media Studios, Universal Cable Productions and USA, which is one of cable’s most successful networks,” said Brandon Burgess, the CEO of ION Media Networks. “These series fit particularly nicely with our network’s ‘Positively Entertaining’ positioning based on procedural dramas and movies.”

“Psych, Monk and House complement ION’s high-quality programming lineup and we are very happy to provide ION with content that has a strong fan base,” added Bruce Casino, the senior VP of cable and ancillary sales at NBCUniversal Domestic TV Distribution.

“We applaud ION Television for recognizing the value in these three award-winning series and we are happy to continue our great relationship with the network,” commented Frances Manfredi, the executive VP and general sales manager at NBCUniversal Domestic TV Distribution.