Dr. Phil McGraw is winding down its deal with Paramount Global and CBS Media Ventures to offer re-runs of his talk program “The Dr. Phil Show” in broadcast syndication, The Desk has learned.
On Thursday, an executive with Merit Street Media — the media company formed by McGraw two years ago — confirmed all 21 seasons of The Dr. Phil Show will be available on Merit TV, the broadcast and cable channel launched last April.
“Bringing all 3,800-plus episodes under one roof at Merit TV aligns with our strategy to build and expand the next-generation media company centered on Dr. Phil’s internationally recognized brand,” Joel Cheatwood, the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Merit TV, said in a statement.
As part of the move, McGraw will update some episodes of The Dr. Phil Show with original content, including follow-ups on guests who appeared on the program during its two-decade run on broadcast TV.
Select episodes and seasons are already available through the Merit TV streaming app for phones, tablets and smart TVs, and on the Merit TV website. Later this year, all episodes from the 21-year run on broadcast TV will be available on the Merit TV platform.
The decision to wind down the broadcast syndication agreement only affects local TV stations that currently carry the program. Shows will still be available through a dedicated channel on Pluto TV, the free, ad-supported streaming platform owned by Paramount, and re-runs will remain on OWN, a cable network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery that was initially backed by Oprah Winfrey.
“I will always be grateful for over two decades of an amazingly successful relationship with CBS and look forward to finding new ways to partner with them,” McGraw said in a statement.
McGraw produces new episodes of his program that air exclusively on Merit TV, which has national distribution on broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. Some of his most-recent guests include former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, embattled former federal lawmaker George Santos and Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White.
The channel has also expanded its availability of live news, with shows produced out of Merit Street Media’s studios in Texas and utilizing news packages distributed by CNN Newsource. In January, Merit Street reached more than 4.7 million viewers with its coverage of the swearing in of President Donald Trump to a second non-consecutive term in office, according to Nielsen figures cited by Merit Street. The ratings bump put the network among the top 20 most-watched on Inauguration Day, Merit Street said.
Late last month, McGraw reached a deal with MCA Media to make a version of Merit TV available in Canada, which makes the channel available to cable, satellite and streaming services and platforms there.
“Our partnership with MCA Media is about creating a platform that truly reflects the diverse and vibrant Canadian culture,” Cheatwood said in a statement at the time. “Merit TV Canada marks the beginning of a new chapter in television.”
