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I remember when it seemed news of OWN’s struggles dominated the media landscape; there didn’t seem to be much of a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. It was all doom and gloom.

What a turnaround, and in what’s been a relatively short period of time, thanks, in part, to the contributions of content creators like Tyler Perry, which are helping the network make history in terms of ratings. Granted it’s less than 3 years old.

The details below, via press release from OWN.

Los Angeles – OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network scored its highest rated quarter in network history delivering double-digit growth in third quarter prime 2013 versus second quarter (+31% W25-54; +35% total viewers; +49% AA W25-54).

Among all ad-supported cable networks, OWN ranked #3 in African-American women 25-54 and #26 in the network’s key demo of women 25-54, its highest quarterly rank. In addition, OWN was Wednesday nights #1 network in all of television for African-American women 25-54 and #2 on Tuesday nights.

The quarter high was driven by the network’s flagship series “Oprah’s Next Chapter” (Sundays at 9 p.m.), the Emmy-winning “Oprah’s Lifeclass,” (Sundays at 9 p.m.), Tyler Perry’s “The Haves and The Have Nots” (Tuesdays at 9 p.m.), “Love Thy Neighbor” (Wednesdays at 9 p.m.) and “For Better or Worse (Wednesdays at 9 p.m.), and the return of the popular Saturday night lineup “Iyanla: Fix My Life” (Saturdays at 9 p.m.) “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” (Saturdays at 9 p.m.) and “Six Little McGhees” (Saturdays at 10 p.m.).

Below are the nightly Q3 ratings highlights:

Tuesdays

The fall finale of Tyler Perry’s first scripted drama on OWN, “The Haves and the Have Nots” (September 3) was the highest rated episode in series history across all key measures (2.21 W25-54 rating, 2.6 million total viewers). The series delivered eight consecutive weeks of growth in Q3 for the final episodes of its first season (W25-54).

Wednesdays

Tyler Perry’s first scripted comedy series on OWN, “Love Thy Neighbor” and “For Better or Worse” propelled OWN to rank as the #1 network on Wednesday nights for African-American women 25-54. “Love Thy Neighbor” averaged over 1 million weekly viewers during its first season and “For Better or Worse,” which premiered on September 18, delivered 1.5 million viewers at 9 p.m. and built to 1.6 million viewers in its second episode at 9:30 p.m. The series is currently averaging a 1.1 W25-54 rating and 1.3 total viewers.

Saturdays

The new season of “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” has delivered ratings gains versus its previous season, up +14% W25-54 (.75 W25-54 rating). The most recent airing on September 28 was one of the highest rated telecasts in series history (.84 W25-54 rating) up +12% vs. the season average and built in every quarter hour growing +19%. It also ranked as Saturday night’s #1 cable telecast for African American viewers. “Six Little McGhees,” which premiered on September 7, delivered its highest rated telecast in series history among W25-54 (.70 W25-54 rating). The series is currently averaging ratings gains versus its previous season, up +17% W25-54 (.55 W25-54 rating). During its run this summer, “Iyanla: Fix My Life” delivered Saturday night’s #1 cable telecast for African-American women 18-49 (August 24) and helped make OWN a top 10 cable network on Saturday nights in August among women 25-54.

Sundays

“Oprah’s Next Chapter” – Quarterly highlights include Oprah’s interview with Tina Turner (Sunday, August 25) delivering over 1 million total viewers and a .71 W25-54 rating. Lindsay Lohan (August 18) scored 892,000 total viewers and a .66 W25-54 rating, reaching 1.9 million viewers for the 9 p.m. premiere and 10 p.m. encore. “Oprah’s Lifeclass” returned to the Sunday lineup on September 8 with Bishop T.D. Jakes delivering a series high among W25-54 and total viewers (.67 W25-54 rating, 687,000 total viewers). The current season is averaging double-digit ratings gains versus its previous season, up +50% W25-54 and up +39% in total viewers (.57 W25-54, 589,000 total viewers). The premiere of “Super Soul Sunday” on September 22 with Mariel Hemingway delivered double-digit ratings gains versus its previous season, up +22% W25-54 and up +16% in total viewers (.28 W25-54, 302,000 total viewers).

3rd Quarter 2013 Primetime:

Women 25-54 .38 rating +31% vs. Q2 2013

Total Viewers 478,000 +35% vs. Q2 2013

AA Women 25-54 1.85 rating +49% vs. Q2 2013

Source: The Nielsen Company

Tyler Perry-5

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