Steve Harvey’s daytime talk show, which had its debut last September, will remain on television through at least 2016 thanks to a series of deals announced Wednesday by its distributor, NBCUniversal.

The long-term deals demonstrate how successful the show, “Steve Harvey,” has been for NBC and for the local stations that carry it. While Katie Couric’s talk show, “Katie,” was introduced at the same time as Mr. Harvey’s and initially drew slightly higher ratings, “Katie” was accompanied by much higher expenses and expectations. Her ratings have slipped in recent months, while Mr. Harvey’s have grown. His show has impressed people in the syndicated television industry, while Ms. Couric’s show has underperformed.

Both shows were previously renewed through 2014. Now “Steve Harvey” has been extended two more years, both by local stations owned by NBC and by other station owners. In some cases Mr. Harvey’s show will move into more advantageous time slots after 2014. (Something similar happened after the health-themed talk show hosted by Dr. Mehmet Oz became a hit upon its premiere in 2009.)

NBC said Wednesday that it had completed about two-thirds of the long-term distribution deals for “Steve Harvey.” It expects to complete the remainder soon.

Mr. Harvey’s show has been particularly helpful to the 10 NBC stations that NBCUniversal owns in big cities like New York and Chicago. By drawing a substantial audience in the afternoon, it has helped the shows that come later in the day.

“’Steve Harvey’ has strengthened our daytime lineups and proven to be a strong lead-in to ‘Ellen’ and, in turn, our local newscasts,” Valari Staab, president of the NBC-owned stations, said in a statement, referring to the talk show hosted by Ellen DeGeneres.

Since September Mr. Harvey has had an average of 1.96 million viewers a day, while Ms. Couric has had 2.3 million. The biggest such show in syndication, “Dr. Phil,” has had 3.95 million viewers.

Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/13/business/media/steve-harvey-talk-show-gains-an-extension.html?partner=rss&emc=rss