Oxygen Bulks Up Original Programming

NEW YORK: At its Upfront presentation, Oxygen Media announced plans to add a second night of original programming to its schedule, as well as the extension of the Tori & Dean franchise with a TV movie, couples-themed makeover show and a fourth season of the hit reality series.

Oxygen Media, World of Wonder, Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott have signed on for a multiplatform development deal that includes the production of original content for Oxygen on-air and for the network’s digital assets. Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood has been picked up for a fourth season, premiering May 26. The agreement also includes the production of original webisodes around Tori’s new book Mommywood that will be exclusive to oxygen.com. An original full-length TV movie and a couples-themed makeover show, both featuring Spelling an McDermott, are in development as well.

In another multiplatform push, Oxygen is teaming up with Crunch to support the new dance/weight-loss competition Dance Your Ass Off. The series focuses on talented, full-figured contestants who struggle with their weight and choose dance to help them shed pounds. Crunch will feature a Dance Your Ass Off class at locations throughout the U.S. over the course of the show, while on-air a Crunch trainer will be featured and the fitness outfit helped provide equipment and furnishings for the gym in the loft where the show’s contestants lived. In addition, Oxygen and Crunch will produce a co-branded fitness DVD, distributed by Anchor Bay Entertainment.

New series and specials set for the network include Addicted to Beauty, an office docu-comedy that looks into the world of medi-spas, and The Naughty Kitchen with Chef Blythe Beck, which features the head chef and cooking crew at Central 214, a top-rated Dallas restaurant. Projects in development include Keshia and Kaseem (working title), featuring former Cosby kid Keshia Knight Pulliam ("Rudy") and her entrepreneur boyfriend and business partner Kaseem Penn, and Celeb-U-Moms, a docuseries that follows the lives of a group of Hollywood moms.

Amy Introcaso-Davis, Oxygen’s senior VP of original programming and development, commented: "All of our programming initiatives and our decision to move forward with another night of originals underscore Oxygen’s long-term strategy to appeal to a very valuable audience. We delivered that coveted demo this past quarter and are ‘living out loud’ with new projects featuring boisterous, saucy, charismatic and over-the-top personalities whose distinctive voice has set our network apart from the pack."

Since launching the network’s rebranding effort in 2008, Oxygen has experienced double and triple digit growth both on-air and online. "It is clear from our performance that consumers are connecting with the Oxygen brand," said Jason Klarman, the general manager of Oxygen Media. "By staying true to our core values, our original programming has become more relevant, especially on Tuesday nights when we program our originals."

He added: "Our strategy this past year was to do more of what we knew would build our core audience. By taking a step beyond our analog lineup, and launching new and engaging digital properties that enhance our position online, we have made Oxygen a franchise that both consumers and our advertising partners are paying attention to in a much more significant way."