Fox is looking to sell the syndication rights to all 25 years of The Simpsons to a cable network, the company’s CEO Gary Newman told investors today. Though the show has aired in repeats on network TV for decades, it’s never aired on any cable channels. With 530 episodes under its belt, a network that purchased the whole lot could run a different episode of The Simpsons each weekday for more than two years. Calling the show “one of the strongest brands that TV has ever known†and “the greatest television asset of all time,†Newman explained that the show’s absence from cable and online services like Netflix means it hasn’t been exploited to its full potential. He also suggested that cable networks could get creative with schedules by, for instance, airing “Treehouse of Horror†episodes for the entire month of October. Speculation about the possible sale began in July, and indications were that the show could be worth up to $1.5 million per episode, or about $800 million in total. Mmm, $800 million.
