The slow death of daytime syndicated TV accelerated dramatically in 2025, with multiple high-profile cancellations and a sharp decline in new launches, driven by shrinking audiences, high production costs, and competition from streaming.
Key developments include the cancellation of five major syndicated shows for the 2025-26 season:
Dish Nation (after 13 seasons), Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien (after 10 seasons), Person, Place or Thing (after two seasons), Pictionary (after three seasons), and True Crime News (after one season). These cuts reflect broader industry challenges, as viewers shift to on-demand platforms, and producers like Warner Bros. and Paramount scale back investments. Iconic game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune also expanded streaming access via next-day deals with Hulu and Peacock, signaling a pivot away from exclusive broadcast syndication.
As first reported by Cord Cutters News, major groups like Nexstar, Gray, Scripps, and Sinclair are leading the shift, expanding local news, lifestyle shows, and regional hubs. Nexstar, the largest station owner, has reduced syndicated daytime slots in favor of hyper-local content, with stations like WOOD-TV 8 in Grand Rapids slashing national programming to just two hours daily while adding extended local news and community segments. This approach delivers stronger regional ad sales from local businesses and meets viewer demand for trusted, community-specific information in a streaming-dominated era.
Overall, the decline of traditional syndicated daytime TV highlights evolving media consumption, while the rise of local programming offers stations a viable, sustainable future.