Sinclair Broadcast Group Joins Tribune In Renewing “Friends” 3rd Cycle

(July 19, 2011 – Burbank, CA) – The hit sitcom “Friends” has been renewed by the Sinclair Broadcast Group in all 16 its incumbent markets including Pittsburgh, Raleigh, and Baltimore, through 2017. The off-net third cycle of the series will begin December 2013 and will be available for the first time in TrueHD. The Sinclair deal follows last month’s announcement that the Tribune Station Group had renewed the series on 15 of their stations including in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago. To date, the series has been sold in more than 50% of the U.S. for its third cycle. The cash-plus-barter deal was announced today by Rick Meril, Executive Vice President/General Sales Manager, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. The stations included in this deal are WPGH-TV/WPMY-TV (Pittsburgh), WLFL-TV/WRDC-TV (Raleigh), WNUV-TV/WBFF-TV (Baltimore), WZTV-TV/WUXP-TV (Nashville), WSTR-TV (Cincinnati), WCGV-TV/WVTV-TV (Milwaukee), WTTO-TV/WABM-TV (Birmingham), WTVZ-TV (Norfolk), WUTV-TV/WNYO-TV (Buffalo), WDKY-TV (Lexington), WVAH-TV/WCHS-TV (Charleston, WV), WSMH-TV (Flint), KBSI-TV/WDKA-TV (Paducah), WUHF-TV (Rochester, NY), WSYT-TV/WNYS-TV (Syracuse), and WTAT-TV/WMMP-TV (Charleston, SC). “Sinclair, much as Tribune, understands that ‘Friends’ is one of the few unique A sitcoms that are critical to maintaining a station’s identity as the local destination for sitcoms,” said Meril. Consistently one of the top-ranked series worldwide, this smash-hit comedy offers a hilarious take on dating and working in the big city. Delve into the hearts and minds of six friends living in New York City as they explore the anxieties and absurdities of true adulthood. Even with marriage, pregnancy and career moves changing the group dynamic, they know they will always face the future together. As Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler and Ross realize, the search for happiness often seems to turn up more questions than answers. But while they look within for fulfillment, they also look out for one another during this exciting time when everything seems possible--as long as they’ve got Friends. “Friends” is a Bright/Kauffman/Crane Production in association with Warner Bros. Television and is distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. ###