DreamWorks to Develop TV Shows for NBC

NBC on Wednesday announced a two-year deal with DreamWorks Television, with the network agreeing to finance new projects and getting dibs on any shows developed by the studio.

DreamWorks and NBC already were collaborating on one new show, “Boomtown,” about cops in Los Angeles that will air this fall on the top-rated network.

The deal comes at a time when NBC is under pressure to produce a new crop of hits. Its No. 1-rated show, “Friends,” probably is entering its final season, and the network needs to prepare potential replacements for other aging hits.

NBC, which is owned by General Electric Co., also will have majority ownership in the DreamWorks shows it broadcasts.

If NBC passes on a DreamWorks show, the studio can shop it to other networks.

Earlier this week, Walt Disney Co.’s ABC network announced that it had signed a similar two-year deal with HBO Independent Productions, a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc.

Both deals point to a growing trend in which TV networks have been scrambling to diversify their pool of suppliers instead of relying largely on in-house studios for most of the prime-time programs.

“It’s all part of the new way of doing business,” NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker said. “It’s an attempt to have different eyes look out for new projects and take bets with people whom we believe will produce.”

The agreements also give networks an advantage over competitors by locking up shows with the greatest chance of success and forcing rival networks to pick over the leftovers. For the studios, such as DreamWorks, the deals provide a source of revenue in an era of limited resources.

DreamWorks Television’s most recent network partnership with ABC expired in June. Under that agreement, DreamWorks produced “Spin City,” which ended its six-year run last season.

In addition to producing “Boomtown” with NBC, DreamWorks is co-producing with 20th Century Fox Television a nostalgic story about an 11-year-old boy called “Oliver Beene,” which is scheduled to air on Fox in January.

The NBC deal gives DreamWorks, which is not part of a huge media conglomerate with an affiliated TV network, an edge in getting shows on a network schedule.

“It makes sense--financially--for us to have a partner,” said Justin Falvey, co-head of DreamWorks Television. “The stars aligned and it makes the most sense for us to be with NBC.”

Neither NBC nor DreamWorks would discuss the deal’s financial terms. Zucker also declined to say how much money the network would dedicate to DreamWorks’ productions.

NBC signed a similar exclusive production deal in May with producer Gavin Polone, who created the WB network’s “Gilmore Girls,” as well as HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and the Jodie Foster film “Panic Room.”

Brad Grey Television, which produced “Just Shoot Me” for NBC, in May teamed up with 20th Century Fox Television.

Zucker said NBC was happy to be in a partnership with DreamWorks, but the network has modest expectations. “Look, if we get one success together in the two years, then this deal will have been well worth it,” he said.