January 23, 2020
Los Angeles – OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today the renewal of four of its hit unscripted series that spotlight love and relationships. “Love & Marriage: Huntsville,” “Black Women OWN the Conversation” and “Ready to Love” have been picked up for second seasons, and “Black Love” has been picked up for its fourth season. The new seasons will air later in 2020. The announcement was made today by Tina Perry, president, OWN.
“We are thrilled to continue building our unscripted slate with the return of these fan favorite series,” said Perry. “These shows collectively tell real stories that deeply resonate with our audience, and we are proud to create authentic content that’s relatable to our viewers. We look forward to keep exploring love in African American relationships.”
The network’s lineup of unscripted hits has made OWN #1 on Saturday nights on all of television for African American women. The most recent cycles of “Love & Marriage: Huntsville” and “Ready to Love” last fall garnered double-digit ratings growth in the core demo vs. their previous cycles. On average during their most recent cycles, “Black Women OWN the Conversation” and “Black Love” both ranked #1 in their time periods across all of cable for African American women.
About the Series:
“Love & Marriage: Huntsville”
Produced by Kingdom Reign Entertainment and ITV America, “Love & Marriage: Huntsville” follows the lives of three successful and powerful couples in the thriving city of Huntsville, Alabama who are helping to revitalize the region through their individual real estate ventures. The series features longtime friends Melody and Martell Holt, Marsau and LaTisha Scott and Maurice and Kimmi Scott, whose goals are to put Huntsville on the map, but reality sets in as they struggle with the highs and lows of balancing out friendships, marriage and business. “Love & Marriage: Huntsville” is produced by Kingdom Reign Entertainment and ITV America with Carlos King, Angela Dugan, Bernie Schaeffer, Brent Nisbett and Andrew Hoagland serving as executive producers.
“Black Women OWN the Conversation”
In partnership with OZY Media, “Black Women OWN the Conversation,” hosted by Emmy-winner Carlos Watson, features intimate conversations with celebrity guests, thought leaders and 100 Black women focusing on important issues with honest opinions and surprising solutions that put people first. The series producers are Carlos Watson, Samir Rao, Jennifer Ryan and Marion Cunningham.
“Ready to Love”
Record-breaking Hollywood producer Will Packer’s popular dating series hosted by Thomas “Nephew Tommy” Miles explores the real-life dating interactions of sexy, successful and grown Black men and women in their mid-30s to early 50s who are each looking for lasting love and an authentic relationship. A unique twist on a typical dating show, “Ready to Love,” provides opportunities for both the men and women to decide who stays and who goes as the tables turn weekly in the search for true love. The new season will take the show to Houston, Texas and is currently casting sexy singles ready to find love (Oprah.com/RTL). The series is produced by Will Packer Media and Lighthearted Entertainment. Will Packer is executive producer. Will Packer Media’s Kelly Smith, Lighthearted’s Rob LaPlante and Jeff Spangler also executive produce along with Anthony Sylvester.
“Black Love”
The NAACP Image Award-nominated docu-series from married filmmakers Codie Elaine Oliver and Tommy Oliver (“The Perfect Guy”) and Confluential Films seeks to answer the burning question, “What does it take to make a marriage work?” By highlighting honest, emotional and sometimes awkward love stories from the Black community featuring celebrity and real-life couples, this docuseries tries to answer that question. The Olivers set out to increase representation and create transparency around marriage in the Black community and first launched the show as newlyweds. They’ve now been married five years and are raising three sons under three years old. As their marriage and family have evolved, the show’s topics have also deepened.
About OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network is the first and only network named for, and inspired by, a single iconic leader. Oprah Winfrey’s heart and creative instincts inform the brand and the magnetism of the channel. OWN is a leading destination for a premium scripted and unscripted programming from today’s most innovative storytellers. OWN connects with its audience wherever they are, inspiring conversation among a global community of like-minded viewers on social media and beyond. Launched on January 1, 2011, OWN is a joint venture between Harpo, Inc. and Discovery, Inc. The venture also includes award-winning digital platform Oprah.com. Access OWN anytime on http://WatchOWN.tv or across mobile devices and connected TVs.
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