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Oxygen Gets Racy To Grab Younger Demos

  • Forbes, Tuesday, April 21, 2009 10:15 AM

What do 18-34 year-old women want? At Oxygen network, which parent NBC Universal bought for $925 million in 2007, the answer is outrageous reality shows like "Bad Girls Club" and "Pretty Wicked." Female viewers in that demo are up 57% in prime time from last year, according to Nielsen Media Research. 100 advertisers, including BlackBerry and Budweiser, came aboard in 2008, and another 25 have already signed up in '09.

"It's not your mother's cable network," says general manager Jason Klarman. Oxygen says its goal is to grow "trenders" (early fad adapters), "spenders" (recession-proof purchasers) and "recommenders" (influencers of others' buying habits).

That's why this year's roster includes shows such as "Dance Your Ass Off," about oversized dancers, "Addicted to Beauty," a behind-the-scenes look at an upscale LaJolla, Calif.,spa, and "Naughty Kitchen with Chef Blythe Beck," as well as the return of Tori Spelling and her husband Dean.

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