The Tyler Perry Effect: OWN Slaughters BET in Ratings

By: Amanda Anderson-Niles

Tyler Perry may draw in mixed reactions when it comes to his films and shows, but it’s pretty clear he’s managed to strike gold in his two new shows for OWN. Despite the fact the shows have already been hit with a petition, Tyler’s new shows “The Have and the Have Nots” and “Love Thy Neighbor” have made Oprah’s network break records in ratings. Interestingly enough, it appears the collaboration as well as Oprah’s other hit shows such as “Iyanla: Fix My Life” have made OWN the obvious winner in the battle against BET. The New York Post reports:

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.

According to the publication, the real issue for BET is it’s losing African-American viewership while OWN is continuing to make steady gains:

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.