NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - NBC is preparing to put its new animated television show "Father of the Pride" on ice, according to a published report.

The television unit of General Electric (Research) will pull the comedy developed by DreamWorks Animation during the November sweeps period and will take the show off the air permanently after its remaining six episodes, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

Sweeps periods are crucial times for the networks as they usually display their strongest programming to boost ratings and set advertising rates for the coming season.

"Whenever a network lacks confidence in a show's performance, they sweep it under the rug during sweeps," Shari Anne Brill, programming director for the ad-buying firm Carat USA, told the paper.

The move is also a blight on DreamWorks Animation (up $0.57 to $38.07, Research), which went public last week, as its first television show turned out to be a dud, but NBC picked up most of the costs for the show, according to the Times.

"Father of the Pride" cost NBC $1.6 million per half-hour episode and has seen its ratings slump as it placed fourth in its time slot last week, the paper reported.

The show has been among a series of disappointments for NBC this fall as the network has been relegated to number three after years of holding the top spot with strong programs such as "Seinfeld" and "Friends."