MUMBAI: Desperate Housewives and Lost may have resurrected the fortunes of US broadcaster ABC but research shows that in the global free to air market CSI Miami tops them.

Global TV Acquisitions, a new report from Informa Telecoms & Media, provides analysis of the broadcast rights market worldwide

Based on number of times programme was listed in year-end 'top 10' rankings worldwide. the top three shows were CSI: Miami, Lost and Desperate Housewives.

In India while CSI Miami airs on AXN, Lost airs on Star Movies and Desperate Housewives airs on Star World.

The report has found that broadcast rights for film, sport and TV formats and series together generate some $40 billion in revenues globally each year.

The report's author Adam Thomas says, "The rights market has now returned to some stability following the collapse of Kirch, which sent shockwaves through the business. That upheaval, combined with the demise of the network premiere, has radically altered the prices being paid for content and the types of deals being struck. Free-to-air channels now prefer to buy single titles, rather than sign up to output deals which bundle in mediocre content of little interest to their viewers."