Seinfeld Signs Contract With Nbc For 9th Season

Jerry Seinfeld has agreed to come back for a ninth season of his hit NBC sitcom “Seinfeld,” sources reported Wednesday.

NBC had hoped to be able to announce Saturday, during entertainment division chief Warren Littlefield’s press tour session, that the show would return for another season. Getting the stand-up comic to agree was considered the major hurdle NBC had to clear, but the network still has to plow through several other “Seinfeld”-related deals, including a license-fee negotiation with Castle Rock as well as pacts with cast members Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Michael Richards and Jason Alexander.

Most sources expect that, with Seinfeld signed up, the other deals will follow. Sources say Castle Rock, the series’ production house, and Sony, the show’s distributor, are inclined to do another season even though there is no compelling syndication reason to extend the show to a ninth season.

And NBC apparently is willing to pay what it takes to bring back the hit, which is critical to the network, tentpoling its enormously successful Thursday night prime-time lineup.

According to some sources, Seinfeld will be paid $1 million per episode to do another season of the show which has a 22-episode order. But other sources said that figure is high.

ABC wins week’s ratings

The Sugar Bowl matchup between Florida and Florida State was the week’s most-watched television show, leading ABC to its second straight ratings victory over season champ NBC.

ABC remains in third place for the television season, Nielsen Media Research said. The chairman of the network’s entertainment division, Ted Harbert, announced his resignation Tuesday.

ABC finished with a 10.1 rating and 17 share for the week, followed by NBC’s 9.5 rating and 16 share, Nielsen said. CBS had a 9.2 rating and 15 share, with Fox at a 6.7 rating and 11 share.

The Sugar Bowl, college football’s de facto national championship game this year, dominated Thursday night’s ratings with NBC airing reruns of its vaunted entertainment lineup.

For the week of Dec. 30-Jan. 5, the top 10 shows, their networks and ratings were:

“Sugar Bowl: Florida vs. Florida St.,” ABC, 17.9; “Fox NFC Playoff Postgame Show: Dallas at Carolina,” Fox, 17.2; “Seinfeld,” NBC, 16.6; “60 Minutes,” CBS, 14.8; “Friends,” NBC, 14.0; “ER,” NBC, 13.9; “Suddenly Susan,” NBC, 13.6; “Sugar Bowl Pregame Show,” ABC, 13.3; “Touched By an Angel,” CBS, 13.3; and “Dateline NBC,” NBC, 13.1.