First-Run Syndication and Unwired Networks in the 1980s: Viacom’s Superboy and Buena Vista TV’s DuckTales

Abstract

This article historically examines the boom in US first-run syndication during the 1980s. At this time, Hollywood-based major distributors eagerly entered this market, thanks to regulatory and industrial changes, in an effort to create competing unwired television networks. The article presents a contextual history to describe these changes and uses two sustained case studies—Viacom’s Superboy and Buena Vista TV’s DuckTales—to more closely examine these syndicators. Through these case studies, the article demonstrates the shared industrial strategies of these distributors in exploiting pre-sold brands, globalized labor, and package deals for programing.