Oxygen Upfront Has a Guest Star

The biggest news at this morning's Oxygen upfront advertising-sales press breakfast? A surprise visit by NBC Universal C.E.O. Jeff Zucker.

Lauren Zalaznick, president of Bravo Media and Oxygen Media, which are both owned by NBC Universal, joked that Zucker was able to squeeze the breakfast into his schedule because Harvey Weinstein had volunteered to do his chores, in an effort to resolve his very public dispute with Zucker over Project Runway.

Zalaznick said Oxygen broke several records in the first quarter, with its biggest-ever ratings for a telecast (1.2 million viewers for The Bad Girls Club), an original movie (1.1 million viewers for Husband for Hire), and an acquired movie (just over 1 million for Pride and Prejudice).

In addition, Oxygen posted its 11th consecutive quarter of growth, and claimed the mantle of being the fastest-growing cable channel among the desirable audience of 18- to 34-year-old viewers.

Not bad, she noted, for a channel that Zucker acquired last November to add "momentum" to NBC's stable of cable channels, which includes USA, the top-rated cable channel, as well as the Sci Fi Channel and Bravo.

Given Oxygen's beginnings — founded by Oprah Winfrey and a group of television producers in 1998 as a niche cable channel for women — these "record-breaking" numbers aren't blockbuster by any means. But NBC is clearly focused on growing the brand and exploiting the niche.

Zalaznick said she would continue to focus on defining the brand, honing the channel's programming, and encouraging growth in digital media. The number of pages viewed on the Oxygen website rose 228 percent last year, and the number of videos watched grew 120 percent.

And the Oxygen brand--what is it, anyway?--was the subject of several questions from the audience.

Under NBC, the answer seemed to be: Oxygen will continue to focus on female viewers between the ages of 18 to 49, with a "laser"-like intensity on those at the younger end of the spectrum, between 18 and 34.

Accordingly, the programming lineup that was announced skewed heavily into areas of supposed interest to women, with returning shows including Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood; a reality show featuring Tori Spelling, her husband, and children; The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, featuring the self-titled "world's first supermodel" judging a stable of wanna-bes; and a Bad Girls Club reunion show, hosted by Star Jones.

A delayed development schedule was also announced, with the first shows premiering in 2009, including Dance Your Ass Off, a weight-loss dance competition reality show; Meltdown, which goes inside the high-profile combustions of stars like Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan; and Coolio's Rules, a reality show featuring the hip-hop star raising his family of kids.

No scripted series were said to be in the works, although Zalaznick said Oxygen is considering doing original movies.

Finally, the network said it would introduce "seamless Tuesday nights" starting June 17, featuring an original series or episode every Tuesday at 10 p.m. through the end of the year and continuing into 2009.

The emphasis on reality shows and young, female viewers mirrored announcements made last week at Bravo's press upfront. There, Zalaznick said Bravo had posted its biggest quarter ever, with a 60 percent increase in revenue and a 30 percent increase in total viewers over the same period last year.

Zucker's guest-star role at the Oxygen breakfast underscores the importance of the channel — and cable in general — to NBC Universal, where network ratings have been dismal over the past few years.

During a question-and-answer session, Zucker deferred to Oxygen executives. But even as he tucked into breakfast, he kept a watchful eye on the executives as they fielded questions on Oxygen's branding strategies and online platforms. He was clearly there for a reason.

by Sophia Banay