11193: OWN Versus BET.

From The New York Post…

BET gets OWNed — Tyler Perry series beef up flailing network

Tyler helps Oprah’s network beef up its ratings

By Claire Atkinson

Maybe Oprah’s OWN network should be renamed Tyler TV.

Thanks to two new series from prolific producer Tyler Perry, the 2-year-old network is not only finding its audience but is challenging Viacom’s BET, which has had a near-monopoly on African-American audiences for 30 years.

Perry’s first two shows for OWN under their exclusive partnership generated the network’s best ratings since it launched to much fanfare in January 2011.

Tuesday night’s “The Haves and the Have Nots,” a drama about a rich family from Savannah, Ga., drew 1.82 million viewers in its second outing, up from 1.77 million in its premiere.

Wednesday night comedy “Love Thy Neighbor” attracted 1.8 million, an increase from 1.65 million viewers for its debut.

Both shows have put OWN within striking distance of BET.

Last week, OWN was the No. 2 network among African-American women ages 25 to 54 years in primetime, — behind only TNT, which was airing the NBA playoffs, according to Nielsen data. BET came in third place.

Last year, Perry agreed to produce shows for Winfrey’s struggling network instead of launching his own cable venture, called Tyler TV, with Lionsgate. He got a small equity stake in OWN as part of the deal.

Best known for his role of tough grandmother Madea, Perry has a loyal African-American audience that follows him across film, movies and the stage.

While OWN wasn’t initially aimed at African-American viewers, it has found its footing among that audience with “Welcome to Sweetie Pies,” a reality show set in a soul food restaurant, and “Iyanla Fix My Life,” a self-help documentary series.

OWN is backed by Oprah’s Harpo and Discovery Communications, which promises OWN will hit profitability by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, OWN is giving BET a run for its money.

Over the past 12 months, BET has lost primetime viewers while OWN has gained, according to an analysis by Horizon Media research chief Brad Adgate.

BET averaged 714,000 viewers in primetime, down from 816,000 in the period spanning June 2011 to May 2012. Over the same time, Oprah’s average audience rose from 250,000 to 315,000.

BET didn’t return requests for comment.

And OWN isn’t far behind Viacom’s BET when it comes to affiliate fees, either.

BET is expected to bag $220.8 million in fees from cable and satellite-TV operators this year, versus OWN’s $197.6 million, according to SNL Kagan. Both collect around 20 cents a subscriber per month from distributors.

BET, acquired by Sumner Redstone’s Viacom for $2.3 billion in 2000, is still ahead in ad revenue, raking in $360.7 million compared with OWN’s projected $128.1 million.

Adgate said it remains to be seen if Perry’s shows continue their ratings momentum after their big premieres.

“But it’s very encouraging,” he said. “It’s very smart to bring in another strong, successful entrepreneur. That’s a great way to grow the network.”

10579: Tyler Perry Is A New OWNer.

From The New York Times…

Tyler Perry Signs Exclusive Deal with OWN

By Brian Stelter

Tyler Perry, the prolific television producer behind sitcoms like “House of Payne,” will soon start to produce shows exclusively for OWN, Oprah Winfrey’s cable network.

The partnership between Mr. Perry and Ms. Winfrey, announced Monday, amounts to the biggest programming bet made by OWN since its premiere in January 2011. The network has struggled to define itself and draw an audience since then, though it has started to show some progress in the ratings in recent months. Ms. Winfrey’s partner, Discovery Communications, expects the network to turn a profit in late 2013.

Mr. Perry will take a small equity stake in OWN, though the amount and the other financial details of the deal were not disclosed on Monday. OWN called it a “multiyear deal.”

In the future, OWN will be Mr. Perry’s “singular destination for all new television series and projects,” the network said Monday in a news release. The network plans to premiere two new scripted series made by Mr. Perry sometime in mid-2013.

The deal with OWN signals that Mr. Perry has ruled out the creation of a cable channel of his own. Last year, The New York Times reported that Mr. Perry and the distributor of his films, Lions Gate Entertainment, were considering creating such a channel, tentatively called Tyler TV. One option for carriage at the time was a takeover of the TV Guide Network. Ms. Winfrey and Discovery Communications created OWN the same way, by taking over the Discovery Health Channel.

Instead, Mr. Perry is collaborating with a fellow media mogul and friend, Ms. Winfrey. The partnership is certain to consume a large portion of OWN’s annual programming budget, particularly because it involves scripted shows, which are more expensive to produce than unscripted shows. Until now, OWN has broadcast only unscripted series.

“You have one of the most talented producers in Hollywood who has walked away from other opportunities, and he is betting his television future on OWN,” said David Zaslav, the chief executive of Discovery, in an e-mail. “In a business where content is king, that is a huge endorsement — and no question that Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey make a pretty powerful consumer and brand proposition.”

OWN will most likely give Mr. Perry two nights of the network’s prime-time schedule; Ms. Winfrey’s shows also take up two nights of the schedule. The other nights will have other unscripted shows and various repeats from Discovery-owned networks.

Mr. Perry’s current home on cable, TBS, will continue to broadcast repeats of his shows “House of Payne,” “Meet the Browns” and “For Better or Worse.”