Bravo Going Original on Thursday Nights
Cable Network Announces Five New Series, Bravo Icon Awards at Upfront Presentation
By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News, 4/11/2007 3:27:00 PM
New York -- Bravo, which is shifting its upfront ad-sales focus to a younger demographic, will add a third night of original programming to its lineup this summer.
The network will kick off its new evening of originals, Thursday, with the launch of reality series Hey Paula, a fly-on-the-wall program following the life and times of American Idol judge Paula Abdul, executive vice president of programming and production Frances Berwick said.
Bravo already schedules originals in primetime on two nights: docu-dramas on Tuesdays and reality-competition shows on Wednesdays.
Berwick spoke during an upfront presentation for the press here Wednesday, where Bravo also unveiled a slate of four additional new shows and announced plans to do its first awards special, Bravo Icon Awards, which will be held here next March.
In addition to Hey Paula, Bravo’s roster of new series includes: Flipping Out,a reality show about Jeff Lewis, a businessman who buys, revamps and resells luxury homes; Welcome to the Parker,which goes behind the scenes at the Parker Palm Springs hotel; Millionaire Matchmaker, about an elite matchmaking service that caters to wealthy men; and First Class All the Way, about a woman who runs a luxury-travel concierge business.
At the press luncheon, which NBC Universal Cable president Jeff Gaspin attended, Bravo officials also said their strategy for the upfront market this year is to focus on the 18-49 demographic rather than the 25-54 age group.
Both Bravo president Lauren Zalaznick and VP of ad sales Susan Malfa said the network’s new ad-sales pitch is that its audience is comprised of “The Affluencers.” Bravo claimed that it attracts cable’s most educated, affluent and engaged younger viewers -- “über” consumers.
“They buy things,” Malfa, formerly with Court TV, said. “They set trends.”
Zalaznick also touted Bravo’s ratings growth in key demographics during the past year. The network has seen a 22% increase in 2006 versus 2005 in the 18-49 demographic in primetime. In the first quarter, Bravo registered a 19% primetime gain in 18-49 compared with the year-ago quarter.
The network’s list of returning series includes Top Chef, Project Runway, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List, Inside the Actors Studio, Watch What Happens and Million Dollar Listing.
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