Syndication refers to the non-network distribution of shows. There are two main ways to license programs to individual outlets. The first way is with programs that are new and created especially for syndication, such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Wheel of Fortune and Xena: Warrior Princess; games and talk shows are popular products. In off-network syndication, the distributor takes a program that has already been shown (for at least three seasons) and rents episodes to local stations or to cable networks. Nick at Nïte, for example, has used this form—reruns of baby boomer sitcoms—to gain an adult audience.

Syndication also has impact on international markets and the exporting of American products—during the 1990s when American television was dominated by sitcoms that did not sell well abroad, syndicated shows such as Baywatch found bidders overseas.