Modern Family Headed into Syndication

NEW YORK: USA Network has acquired from Twentieth Television the exclusive syndication rights to the hit ABC series Modern Family.

USA Network will strip the series Monday through Sunday starting in fall 2013. Modern Family was the number one freshman half-hour comedy of the 2009-10 season among adults 18 to 49 and total viewers. The show averaged 11.2 million viewers each week, making it ABC’s highest rated new comedy dating back nine years.

"This is by far the most significant sitcom acquisition we have ever made," said Jane Blaney, USA’s executive VP of programming, acquisitions and scheduling. "Modern Family is the hottest new sitcom that premiered during the ’09-’10 TV season and it’s a perfect fit for USA. The terrific writing, incredible ensemble cast and the cool cultural relevance align perfectly with the Characters Welcome brand."

"Modern Family is an incredible comedy series driven by a strong ensemble cast, which we think will be an excellent complement to USA Network’s slate of character-driven programs," added Steve MacDonald, the executive VP and general sales manager for basic cable at Twentieth Television. "We are thrilled that Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd’s television family now has a second home on cable."