The aftershocks from "Project Runway's" jump from Bravo to Lifetime continue to reverberate through the cable universe -- and not in the ways many had anticipated.
Lifetime, which seemed poised to finally shed its image as TV for (Older) Women with its costly acquisition of the uber-hip "Runway," has instead seen its overall ratings slide continue.
While it's still cable's top-rated network among women 18-49, Lifetime's ratings in that demo have dropped 13 percent in primetime thus far this year.
The numbers for September and October -- following "Runway's" move to Lifetime -- show similar fall-off.
By contrast, Bravo has wasted no time getting over its breakup with "Runway." Despite the departure of its biggest hit, the network is actually 5 percent ahead of its 2008 average among adults 18-49 this year, and it had its best ratings quarter ever this summer (see accompanying story, "How Bravo Saved Itself").
And then there's "Runway" itself.
After a fierce (and record-breaking) start, the show has displayed no Nielsen momentum on Lifetime, even though Lifetime reaches more cable homes (98.7 million) than Bravo (92 million).
"Runway" has fallen more than 20 percent since premiering with a series-best 4.2 million viewers in August -- and, worse, it's now averaging 9 percent fewer women 18-49 viewers than its last season on Bravo.
That's not the scenario "Runway" executive producer Harvey Weinstein predicted last year, when he forecast big gains for the show on its new network.
"Lifetime doubled the audience for us. There is incredible potential to grow the show and make it bigger," Weinstein said back in April 2008 at a Lifetime rebranding event.
Making things tougher for Lifetime is the pricetag associated with its acquisition of "Project Runway." According to numerous reports, the network paid $200 million for a package of programming from the Weinstein Co. which includes at least five seasons of "Runway," two spinoff series and around 70 movies from the independent studio.
And yet, while the shift to Lifetime clearly hasn't been the boon to "Runway" Weinstein and others expected, it's also far too soon to declare it a failure. Anything but, says Lifetime President and CEO Andrea Wong.
"I don't see any downside to bringing 'Project Runway' to Lifetime," Wong told TheWrap, calling the show's performance on the network "fantastic."
"It's the No. 1 rated reality show on cable this year among women," she added. And while competitors would note that statistic includes demographically undesirable viewers 50 and up, Wong notes Lifetime "sells lots of women demos," including older ones.
Lifetime research executives also note that "Runway" has helped lower Lifetime's median age to 46.4, the network's lowest in a decade (and younger than Fox). Around 50 percent of the viewers watching "Runway" are new to the channel. And the show has also helped with digital efforts, giving MyLifetime.com a record-breaking 11.3 million video streams last month.
"Runway's" presence also probably didn't hurt the debut season of "Drop Dead Diva," the first-year dramedy that gave Lifetime its best debut since "Army Wives" in 2007 and showed growth throughout its run.
