Series Premiere Ranks Oxygen Media Among Top Five Cable Networks In Time Period, And Among Top 10 Most Social Cable Reality Episodes
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – July 24 – Oxygen’s new thought-provoking docu-series “I’m Having Their Baby†delivered 819,000 total viewers, 486,000 adults 18-49 and 370,000 women 18-49, according to Nielsen, marking an impressive debut for the freshman series premiere. Last night’s premiere episode posted double digit growth, up 50 percent in total viewers, 54 percent in adults 18-49 and 42 percent in women 18-49 from the prior four-week time period average. In addition, Oxygen ranked among the Top Five cable networks in the 11 pm hour with women 18-34. On the digital front, the series premiere ranked among the Top 10 Most Social Cable Reality Episodes airing yesterday with over 2.4 thousand social uniques and posting over 3.3 thousand social comments, according to the social media tracker, SocialGuide. For more information, visit www.oxygen.com.
In the second installment of the six-part series airing on Monday, July 30 at 11pm ET/PT, viewers will meet Amanda, a 28-year-old mother raising two active boys, as well as her boyfriend’s son from a previous relationship, in Chehalis, Washington. Given her economic situation, Amanda is aware she cannot properly support another child and decides to place her baby with a gay couple, despite the opinions of friends and family. Also featured is Mariah, 8-months pregnant, who lives with her boyfriend and her 9-month-old daughter in Anderson, Indiana. In desperate financial straits, Mariah feels she must gather the strength to make the most grown-up decision of her life.
Propelling the topic of adoption into the national conversation, last night’s premiere episode introduced viewers to Mary, a 25-year old wife from Mulberry, FL, and her personal journey into the world of adoption. Also in the premiere episode, the second case profiled Claudia, who ultimately wanted a better life for both her and her unborn child – a common theme throughout the series.
To coincide with the series launch, Oxygen Media recently released a study conducted by Lightspeed Research targeting the insights of women and men on the deeply personal and complex topic of adoption. As viewers will learn in this series, it’s an emotional journey on both ends as it pertains to the birth mother and the potential adoptive parents. The study’s findings reflect a new openness among Americans, and shed light on the true perception that they have about this decision as well as the driving factors that will bring a woman to make this emotional choice.
The survey, which interviewed more than 1,000 people ages 18 to 49, explores a vast range of findings. It reveals that 90 percent of Americans feel the main reason that women choose adoption is teenage pregnancy, yet 91 percent feel that adoption gives the child a chance for a better life with two-thirds feeling the child benefits most (66 percent) with this choice. The results also show that Americans understand this complexity with 90 percent saying that birth parents have the right to change their minds about adoption until the papers have been signed. By the end of each episode when the audience bears witness to the birth mothers’ ultimate decision, it’s all too clear why this percentage is so high.
“I’m Having Their Baby†is produced by Hud:sun Media with Michael Rourke and Michelle Kongkasuwan as executive producers.
Source: Nielsen Media Research LS.; Digital data from: SocialGuide.com cable episode ranking (premiere hour only) amongst all new cable reality episodes (not including count-down series or WWE) on 7/23/12.
About Oxygen Media
Oxygen Media is a multiplatform lifestyle brand that delivers relevant and engaging content to young women who like to “live out loud.” Oxygen is rewriting the rulebook for women’s media by changing how the world sees entertainment from a young woman’s point of view. Through a vast array of unconventional and original content, including “The Glee Project,†“Best Ink,” “Bad Girls Club” and “Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood,” the growing cable network is the premier destination to find unique and groundbreaking unscripted programming. “The Glee Project†is a winner of a 2012 Gracie Award which honors programming created for women, by women and about women for “Outstanding Reality Show.†A social media trendsetter, Oxygen is a leading force in engaging modern young women, wherever they are, with popular, award winning features online including www.OxygenLive.com,the real time social viewing party that is also available as an app for the iPhone and iPad. Oxygen is available in 80 million homes, and can be found online and on mobile devices at www.oxygen.com.Follow us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/OxygenPR. Oxygen Media is a service of NBCUniversal.