Tyler Perry Signs Exclusive TV Deal With OWN

By Andrea Morabito

Tyler Perry is moving from TBS to OWN. The multihyphenate talent will create two new scripted series for the network under a deal announced Monday that makes OWN the exclusive home for all of Perry's new television series and projects. Perry will executive produce, write and direct both series, set to premiere in mid-2013. The series represent the first scripted efforts for OWN whose current lineup is anchored by unscripted fare like Oprah's Next Chapter, Iyanla: Fix My Life and Welcome to Sweetie Pie's. Discovery Communications CEO David Zaslav called bringing Perry to OWN a "major coup" for the network. Tyler Perry's House of Payne premiered as cable's highest-rated comedy in 2007, a spot it held until the debut of Perry's second series Meet the Browns. Both series, as well as Perry's For Better or Worse, aired on TBS. OWN posted year-over-year ratings gains with women 25-54 for the recently ended third quarter, up 56% in primetime and up 55% in total day.