http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs...ve-reports.aspx

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The fight between Leno and Conan might be over, for now. Entertainment site The Wrap is reporting that NBC has agreed to pay Conan O'Brien $30-million to leave his 11:35 p.m. time slot.

From their post:

The network has agreed to pay O'Brien $30 million to vacate the 11:35 p.m. "Tonight Show," sources involved in the negotiations have told TheWrap.

The deal, which still has to be formally signed, will be announced later Friday.

NBCU President and CEO Jeff Zucker, NBCU Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin and Co-Chairman NBC Entertainment and NBC Televison Studio Marc Graboff were involved in the final all-night negotiations. The deal was brokered by Universal COO Ron Meyer, who was brought in on Tuesday, after talks had reached an impasse.

Earlier reports had indicated that Conan and NBC were close to a deal that involved the network waiving O'Brien's non-compete clause, paving the way for him to leave for another network and host another show.

From the Daily Beast:

The NBC-Leno-Conan war is close to ending, according to a knowledgeable source. According to the outlines of a settlement, Conan O'Brien will leave NBC and the network will make an as-yet unspecified payment. The comedian will be free to appear elsewhere on television well before his contract expires, despite earlier threats from NBC that it would prevent him from working anywhere else.

Conan's last episode of the Tonight Show is set for January 22. Any new show with O'Brien could take weeks and even months to set up.

The Los Angeles Times rounds up some of Conan's post NBC options. Where ever he goes we wish Coco luck.

Fox is the most obvious choice, and Kevin Reilly, the network's entertainment president, has not been subtle about how much he likes O'Brien. But, as we've previously noted lots of times, the network's affiliates would be a hard sell. They already have programming in the 11 p.m. hour and while sitcom reruns may not seem sexy, they are big cash generators for local TV stations.

With Fox already trying to get affiliates to give the network a cut of any money they get from cable operators for carrying their local stations, asking for a time slot on top of it may be a reach. Fox's own TV stations may also be wary about late night for the same reason. Those reruns cost a lot of money.