Dick Wolf Signs 5-Year Deal with Universal TV

Super producer Dick Wolf has signed a new five-year deal with NBCUniversal’s Universal Television, extending a run with the company that has already lasted 36 years.

NBC has also made unprecedented three-year pickups for four of Wolf’s series: the long running Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and the three Wednesday night series based in Chicago, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med.

The agreement also includes multiple series commitments.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but with the streaming wars waging, prolific, successful show creators like Wolf are getting deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Wolf’s Law & Order and Chicago franchises will both be available on Peacock, the streaming service Comcast’s NBCU will be launching on April 15.

“I’m gratified and excited that Universal will remain our home for five more years,” Wolf said. “This new term deal complements our recently concluded agreement to make Peacock one of the primary destinations for both the L&O and Chicago brands, as well as our extraordinary three-year NBC broadcast pickups on all four current series. We are now supercharged to expand our business on new platforms, both domestically and internationally, while continuing to produce our current and future series for broadcasting and streaming networks.”

L&O: SVU, now in season 21, is the longest-running, live-action primetime program in TV history. The three Chicago dramas reached a total of 66 million viewers over the course of the season and dominate Wednesdays in total viewers. All three Chicago series rank among TV’s top seven most watched dramas.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with Dick over the decades and it goes without saying he remains one of the most influential producers in history,” said Bonnie Hammer, chairman, NBCUniversal Content Studios. “He is a visionary unlike any other whose impact has changed the entire television landscape. We’re beyond thrilled to have Dick and his team remain in the NBCUniversal family for many years to come.”

Wolf is represented by Cliff Gilbert-Lurie at Ziffren Brittenham and WME.

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.