Lower Decks

Despite bucking the current trend in network television and enjoying a surge in the Nielsen ratings this season, supernatural drama series Ghost Whisperer receives relatively little media coverage. In late March, Variety published an article discussing the show’s impressive increases in both total viewers and several key demographics. Now, as it nears the end of its fourth season, TV Week reports that there is a remote chance that Ghost Whisperer may wind up on ABC next season.

The drama series, which is co-produced by ABC Studios and CBS Paramount Network Television, airs on Fridays from 8PM-9PM on CBS and regularly wins its time slot. According to the TV Week article, CBS wants to renew Ghost Whisperer for a fifth season but ABC Studios may demand an increased licensing fee (the amount of money CBS the network forks over for each episode):

But here’s the catch: CBS’ option assumes the network is willing to accept a dramatically higher license fee than what it now pays. Because “Ghost” is going into its fifth season, the deal now in place calls for CBS to start paying the full cost of production on the show next season, which insiders estimate to be around $3 million per episode. One person familiar with the situation said CBS now pays about half that amount per episode.

Given the tough financial times, several people familiar with the situation said ABC Studios knows that it’s unrealistic to expect CBS to pay $3 million per episode for a modest success such as “Ghost.” While the series is a solid anchor for CBS, it airs on Friday, a lower-revenue night for the networks that demands lower-cost programming.

If a deal with CBS cannot be reached, TV Week suggests that ABC Studios may try to sell the series to other networks, with ABC the most likely choice. On the other hand, the article points out, this may simply be a negotiating tactic on the part of ABC Studios and Ghost Whisperer will return on CBS for the 2009-2010 season. The series has been sold into syndication and will air on ION and cable channels SCI FI and WE beginning in the fall of 2009.