Changes are happening at the Oprah Winfrey Network and OWN President Tina Perry declares expansion is on the horizon for the network’s unscripted content.
In addition to renewing its popular shows “Love & Marriage: Huntsville,” “Love & Marriage: D.C.,” “Put a Ring on It” and “Belle Collective,” the network is diving deeper into its love and relationships-related programming.
“We have a passion for telling black stories, especially those centered on black women that touch the heart and entertain,” said Perry. “Our purpose at OWN is always to ensure our viewers see themselves.”
“We put a lot of energy and effort to really break into the space and do something special and different for our audience. When you look at the landscape of unscripted programming, targeting African American women, we have really served her with love and relationship programming that is fun, reflective of her life, but also has a little bit of drama to it,” she adds.
As the company looks forward to the premiere of the two part Season 2 reunion of “Belle Collective,” OWN boasts a successful year in ratings among Black women 18 and up. According to the network, “Ready to Love,” “Belle Collective” and “Put A Ring On It” has pushed the network to become Friday night’s No. 1 cable network in the demo. To date, all three series have reached double-digit growth over the last year in total viewers, with “Belle Collective” climbing +25% and “Put A Ring On It” up by +18%.
In light of each show’s success, Perry teases OWN has plans to continue growing some of the franchises like “Love & Marriage” but remains tightlipped on the details of the potential spinoff.
“And we are looking, I will say at some of our other other shows that are really rating strongly –– what some spin off opportunities could be or more franchises,” she says. “There’s a lot of room for growth in this space.”
“At the center of our programming is our purpose: to make sure our audience is reflected and sees themselves–their stories, families and community in a nuanced and layered way. The success of these shows tells us that we are meeting this goal, and it’s deeply gratifying,” Perry said of the renewal news in a statement. “We look forward to continuing our collaborations with Carlos King and Kingdom Reign Entertainment for both ‘Belle Collective’ and the ‘Love & Marriage’ franchise, and with Will Packer, Will Packer Media and Lighthearted Entertainment for ‘Put A Ring On It.'”
“Love & Marriage: D.C.” is produced for OWN by Kingdom Reign Entertainment with Carlos King, Angela Dugan, Scott Shatsky, Brent Nisbett, and Tarin Laughlin serving as executive producers. “Put A Ring on It” is produced by Will Packer Media and Lighthearted Entertainment. “Love & Marriage: Huntsville” is produced by Kingdom Reign Entertainment and ITV America with Carlos King, Jordana Hochman, Angela Dugan, Andrew Hoagland and Markus Burns as executive producers. “Belle Collective” is produced by Kingdom Reign Entertainment with Carlos King, Angela Dugan, Scott Shatsky, Cherelle Hinds and Michelle Brando serving as executive producers.
Parts one and two of the “Belle Collective” Season 2 reunion will air on Friday, September 30 and Friday, October 7 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. “Love & Marriage: Huntsville” Season 3 will broadcast on Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Take a look at clips from the upcoming episodes below.
