• by David Goetzl , June 2, 2009

Viacom will get two for the price of $600,000. The cable programmer will air the syndicated episodes of the HBO hit "Entourage" it purchased recently on both its Spike and Comedy Central networks.

The series about four buddies in Hollywood will debut in January on the male-targeted Spike and will be used to help launch a new original comedy. It's unclear when it will make its way to Comedy Central, but Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman confirmed the plans at an investor event last week. He cited the need to air more programming on multiple networks within the company's cable portfolio.

He suggested that MTV Networks channels may have operated in silos in the past, but there will now be a push to share some programs, which could cut costs. "We're going to do a little more borrowing among our networks programming we already own," he said.

Viacom has purchased rights to the 78 episodes of "Entourage" already aired and all future episodes. The Hollywood Reporter reported that it paid $600,000 per episode.

Dauman said Spike will pair "Entourage" with new comedy "Blue Mountain State" in January, airing the HBO series as a lead-in. The original show focuses on three freshmen at a college football powerhouse: "girls, partying, hazing." Ex-"Hill Street Blues" star Ed Marinaro has a lead role.

"If you have the right mix of a show that works for your audience that's acquired, it can help you also launch the original programming," Dauman said.

A top-10 cable network among adults 18-to-49, Spike has seen ratings, by one measure, fall 13% this season. The network has been launching a slew of original programming.