Deal for ‘Cosby’ Called Costliest TV Renewal Ever

National Broadcasting Co. and Carsey-Werner Co. renewed “The Cosby Show” for an additional 26 episodes in what sources said was the largest renewal deal for a show in the history of television.

NBC and Carsey-Werner declined to comment on the specific details of the renewal, but sources said the overall value is about $50 million, or roughly $2 million for each episode. The producers at one stage sought a license fee of $3 million per episode.

The network and the producers had been deadlocked until last week on terms for a seventh season of “Cosby,” whose current contract expires in May. The show, since it went on the air in 1984, has been the backbone of the network’s highly profitable Thursday night schedule.

Sources said no commitments were given for “A Different World” or “Grand,” two other shows produced by Carsey-Werner for NBC. “There was no laundry list,” said a knowledgeable source. The renewal deal will, however, cut into the network’s profits from its top-rated show.

“Everybody’s happy,” said Norman Brokaw, chief executive of the William Morris Agency and Cosby’s agent. “The deal has been finalized. Bill Cosby was not prepared to go somewhere else,” Brokaw added, alluding to the star’s statements that he would not move the show to ABC or CBS if the producers and NBC could not reach an agreement.

The producers had originally asked NBC for a $100-million “signing bonus” in addition to having NBC pay for the direct costs of the series. Customarily, the license fee that networks pay to air a show do not cover its production costs. Only after a series has been a hit for more than five years is a network forced to pay a license fee that matches, and in some cases exceeds, the production costs.

According to sources, the producers came under intense pressure from colleagues in the Hollywood production community to drop their bonus demands. It was thought such a precedent would further inflame the already strained relationship between program suppliers and the networks. The producers and networks are engaged in an all-out lobbying campaign in Washington over whether the networks should be allowed to own a stake in the shows they air.