By David Biello | The Hollywood Reporter

A healthy afterlife will welcome the Barones once CBS signs them off

Its ninth and final season on CBS is drawing to a close, but "Everybody Loves Raymond" will live on, having launched its second syndication cycle in 2003 and sold rights to air through 2013.

"We offered stations that already owned the show the opportunity to air a double run to take advantage of the (show's) popularity," says Joe DiSalvo, president domestic TV sales at King World.

Thus "Raymond" runs on numerous networks, including TBS, and often competes against itself in prime slots. No wonder U.S. household numbers for "Raymond" improved more than 40% during its fourth season in syndication, making it the top-rated syndicated sitcom with ratings 25% higher than even its own first-season network numbers.

"Its appeal is all-family; its appeal is multi-generational," King World senior vp research Moira Coffey says. "It works in a variety of dayparts; it's highly rated no matter where you put it."

Abroad, the show has become the best-selling CBS comedy ever, with sales to 169 nations.

"Comedies traditionally do not sell well in other countries due to the humor not translating," CBS Paramount International Television president Armando Nunez Jr. says. "'Raymond' is an exception due to its strong male lead and the center of its story being a family, which everyone can relate to. It is also a physical comedy that can be funny no matter what the language."

Australians especially love "Raymond," particularly Australian men: The show is No. 1 in its time slot this season among males age 16-54, in addition to being the top-rated U.S. sitcom among women 25-39 and 40- to 54-year-olds of both genders, according to CAD/OzTam.

With such global appeal, "Raymond" easily slid into DVD afterlife for its first and second seasons, released respectively in September and December. The series shipped 462,000 units and earned net studio revenue of $12.5 million by the end of 2004, according to Adams Media Research estimates.

"What is unique about 'Everybody Loves Raymond' on DVD is its incredible staying power," HBO Video senior vp marketing Cynthia Rhea says. "(It) has become one of HBO Video's most consistent TV-on-DVD performers."

HBO Video is timing the third-season DVD release to coincide with the end of "Raymond's" CBS run. The product will include bonus features such as outtakes, footage from a Museum of Television & Radio panel and commentary by star/executive producer Ray Romano and creator-showrunner Phil Rosenthal on how the show's plot lines are based on real-life events.

"It's a unique time and place for sitcoms," Coffey says. "Fewer successful ones are being made available from primetime, so it's becoming a rare gem in programming for syndication."

Viewers thus can expect to see the Barones on TV anytime, anywhere. "(The syndication package) offers viewers a variety of days and times they can view it," Coffey says. "It's not like there are classic comedies waiting in the wings to take (its) place."