Team Coco fans won't have to wait much longer for their Conan O'Brien fix.
Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) TBS has secured the talented comedian's services. The basic cable network will begin airing O'Brien's new show four days at week at 11 p.m. come November. He'll compete against local news and Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) The Daily Show on Comedy Central during the first half-hour before taking on the major-network juggernauts.
General Electric's (NYSE: GE) majority-owned NBC was in a lose-lose situation when O'Brien and Jay Leno began jockeying for position earlier this year. NBC ultimately sided with Leno, buying out O'Brien's contract along the way.
TBS is an intriguing choice. News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) Fox was the more logical landing spot, and widely believed to be the most active frontrunner, but let's not dismiss TBS's smaller audience.
O'Brien's move reminds me of Howard Stern's decision to leave terrestrial radio for Sirius XM four years ago. The money was right. The content-restrictive nooses loosened a bit. The premium audience was smaller, but more appealing to sponsors.
Stern's deal with Sirius was a win-win. The satellite-radio operator became relevant, and Stern got both the freedom and compensation that he wanted.
If O'Brien's November arrival is well-received, TBS may enjoy a boost throughout its entire slate of programming, and command higher fees from the cable providers who carry it. The new show might even eat into ratings at NBC, CBS (NYSE: CBS), and Disney's (NYSE: DIS) ABC -- but again, only if O'Brien's return is a hit.
Will O'Brien's late-night void make his show more or less relevant in seven months? Share your thoughts in the comments box below.
