NBC in Deal for Block from Original Productions

BURBANK, December 3: NBC has reportedly reached a deal for a prime-time programming block featuring unscripted content from Original Productions’ Thom Beers, whose credits include Discovery Channel’s popular Deadliest Catch.

According to the New York Times, NBC will air at least two hours from Beers back to back in a weekly block. The agreement covers three 10-episode productions. Involved in the agreement are former network heads Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun, whose BermanBraun outfit has a first-look deal with NBC. The international rights for the productions will reportedly remain with BermanBraun and Beers.

The deal, Braun told the Times, “certainly has the potential to dramatically change the network economics of a given night.”

It is not clear when the block will launch.

—By Mansha Daswani