Judge Judy's reign is set to continue.
Judy Sheindlin has inked a new multi-year deal with CBS Television Distribution to continue with her daytime series through 2017.
The announcement comes as little surprise as Judge Judy, now in its 17th season, averages more than 9 million daily viewers, more than any other show in daytime. Similarly impressive, the show has spent 860 consecutive weeks -- since its debut on Sept. 16, 1996 -- as the top-rated, half-hour syndicated court show on TV.
"We are grateful to Judy for her continued unparalleled ratings and her one-of-a-kind style. She is truly the Queen of Daytime and we couldn't be happier that she will continue her trademark sense of justice and humor with CTD and her stellar station line up through 2017," CBS Global Distribution CEO Armando Nunez said in a statement Monday.
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Added Sheindlin: "Twenty-one is a terrific number. It's when you officially become an adult, it's a winning hand in blackjack and it's the number of seasons we will have hit in 2017. I am so fortunate to have a job that I still love, working with a staff I respect and with a company who is at the top of their game."
The news comes as the increasingly fractured daytime landscape continues to shed players, including Anderson Cooper's Anderson Live, The Jeff Probst Show and another long-running CBS court show Judge Joe Brown. Judge Judy, which historically has paid its star $45 million, is executive produced and directed by Randy Douthit. Financial terms of the new deal were not revealed.
Email: Lacey.Rose@THR.com; Twitter: @LaceyVRose
