Z Living Acquires 'The Doctors'

Cable network Z Living has acquired recent seasons of CBS Television Distribution’s syndicated strip, The Doctors, the company said Thursday.

The Doctors, which is produced by Jay McGraw’s Stage 29 Productions, will join Sony Pictures Television’s Dr. Oz on the health entertainment network. The series will kick off on Z Living with a July 4 marathon running from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and then air six days a week across the network’s schedule in an assortment of time slots. Z Living acquired Dr. Oz and started airing it in September. Neither show airs on other cable networks.

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“Z Living’s mission is to provide meaningful entertainment content that promotes a consciousness about living a healthy and happy life, while offering real-world information and take aways that viewers can use,” said Z Living President Rajeev Kheror in a statement. “We know The Doctors will resonate with Z Living’s loyal and growing female audience, as well as our advertisers and distribution partners.”

The network’s brand is all about helping viewers “live their lives to the fullest,” said Kheror, and he feels that these two shows help the network accomplish that goal.

“Z Living caters to an audience that is very informed. Both of these shows are so unique in terms of their content and their mission — they are a very big brand match for us. All content that we acquire and create is about benefiting the viewers,” he said Kheror.

“We are a health entertainment-focused network, and both Dr. Oz and The Doctors are shows that we think fit really well with that mandate,” said Tim Krubsack, executive vice president and head of programming, Z Living.

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The Doctors premiered in broadcast syndication in 2008, and will debut its 11th season this fall. It stars ER physician and best-selling author Dr. Travis Stork along with co-hosts plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Ordon, OB/GYN Dr. Nita Landry and dermatologist Dr. Sonia Batra. McGraw, Carla Pennington, Patricia Ciano and Dr. Phil McGraw are executive producers.

Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.