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Upfront TV: “Hotel Hell” Delayed | “Oxygen Connect” Launch | CNN Down | Food Network Up

Published on May 02, 2012
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  • “Hotel Hell,” Gordon Ramsay’s new reality series, was supposed to premiere on April 6, but will now debut late summer reports Deadline Hollywood. Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen” has also been delayed: It was supposed to return for its 10th season on Tuesday, May 29, paired with “Masterchef.” Both will now premiere on June 4 and will run on both Monday and Tuesday. The new premiere date for Hotel Hell is TBD.
  • Oxygen Media today announced new details around “Oxygen Connect,” its social TV platform. Concurrent with “The Glee Project” Season 2 premiering on Tuesday, June 5 at 10 P.M.  ET/PT, “Oxygen Connect” will provide fans with a platform that connects them directly to the series contenders over the course of the entire competition. With a premise of “earning to experience,” fans will have the opportunity to engage with the content and earn points toward more personal experiences such as live chats with contenders, and more. Beginning May 18, fans of “The Glee Project” will be able to sign up early to join “Oxygen Connect” using their Facebook accounts. From there, they can invite Facebook friends and Twitter followers to join them, create user profiles, and unlock an exclusive video preview of “The Glee Project” Season 2. 
  • April was CNN’s lowest-rated month since August 2001, the month before the September 11 attacks, reports Deadline Hollywood. The once-dominant cablenet posted decade low ratings among both total viewers (357,000) and Adults 25-54 (108,000). Year over year (YoY), CNN was down 21% in total viewers and 29% in 25-54. Lest we blame this on viewer ennui, Fox News Channel was up 2% in total viewers (for 1.1 million) and 1% in 25-54 (273,000), and MSNBC was flat in total viewers (425,000) and down 5% in 25-54 (139,000). “Piers Morgan” was down 14% at 9 P.M., and “Anderson Cooper 360” was down 8% at 8 P.M. and 28% at 10P.M.
  • The Food Network fared better than CNN, and had its best April in network history (up 20% from April 2011). The month was watched nightly by an average of 1.2 million total viewers and posted a 0.6 rating among adults 25-54. The Sunday night series “Chopped All-Stars” was up 98% over the same 2011 timeslot, averaging a 1.3 rating among adults 25-54. The network also ranked 6th among ad-supported cable networks A25-54 for the month, up two spots from last year, according to Nielsen Media Research. “Cupcake Wars” alone averaged 0.8 among adults 25-54, up 41% YoY. Food Network also posted success in its daytime programming block, launching country music superstar Trisha Yearwood in “Trisha’s Southern Kitchen,” posting a 0.6 among women 25-54.
  • After earlier hints, TV Land has officially announced that it will extend the second season of its original sitcom, “Happily Divorced,” starring Fran Drescher, picking up 12 additional episodes. This episode order takes the second season total to 24 (and after a successful half-season test drive). The back-order of season two will debut later this year. The first 12 episodes of the second season are currently in premieres airing Wednesdays at 10:30 P.M. ET/PT on TV Land. “We are thrilled to continue our relationship with Fran and the rest of the amazing cast and crew on ‘Happily Divorced’,” said Jones. “This show uses humor brilliantly to communicate and relate with the audience. We feel so fortunate to have a show that can create social change through laughter.” “Happily Divorced” stars and is inspired by the real-life story of sitcom favorite Fran Drescher (“The Nanny”), and revolves around Fran, a Los Angeles florist who finds out after 18-years of marriage that her husband is gay. Unable to sell the house with the economy tanking, she and her gay ex-husband Peter (John Michael Higgins, “Best in Show”) must continue to live together happily divorced as they both re-enter the dating world.
Related categories: Television, Media Options & Channels, TV Cable, TV Network, TV Upfront,

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