OWN's QUEEN SUGAR Delivers Highest Rated Two-Episode Debut

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network's QUEEN SUGAR delivered the highest-rated two-episode debut in network history (9/6/16 and 9/7/16). "Queen Sugar", from award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay ("Selma") and executive producer Oprah Winfrey, averaged a 1.9 W25-54 rating and 2.416 million total viewers over its two-night premiere. In OWN's key demo of W25-54, "Queen Sugar" was the highest-rated two-episode debut in network history.

Tuesday's premiere episode of "Queen Sugar" (10 p.m.) averaged a 2.07 W25-54 rating and 2.7 million total viewers, BECOMING Tuesday night's #2 cable telecast for women. The telecast was the #2 series debut in OWN history across all key measures. OWN was Tuesday night's #1 cable network for women. The season finale of popular Tyler Perry drama "The Haves and the Have Nots" (9 p.m.) averaged a 2.41 W25-54 rating and 3.24 million total viewers, making this the most-watched telecast of the season.

Wednesday night's "Queen Sugar" episode (10 p.m.) averaged a 1.72 W25-54 rating and 2.14 million total viewers and built over its quarter hours, up +6% from its first quarter hour to its last in W25-54.

In 2016, OWN has two of the top three scripted cable debuts in W25-54 with "Queen Sugar" and "Greenleaf."

Source: The Nielsen Company

About "Queen Sugar" The contemporary drama "Queen Sugar" (Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT) chronicles the lives and loves of the estranged Bordelon siblings in Saint Josephine, Louisiana: NOVA (Rutina Wesley, "True Blood"), a world-wise journalist and activist; Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner, "Unforgettable"), the savvy wife and manager of a professional basketball star; and Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe, "Awkward"), a formerly incarcerated young father in search of redemption. After a family tragedy, the Bordelons must navigate the triumphs and struggles of their complicated lives in order to run an ailing sugarcane farm in the New South. "Queen Sugar" is produced for OWN by Warner Horizon Television. The executive producers for season one are Ava DuVernay, Melissa Carter and Oprah Winfrey. The series is based on the book by Natalie Baszile.

About OWN: OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK OWN: OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK is the first and only network named for, and inspired by, a single iconic leader. Oprah Winfrey's heart and creative instincts inform the brand - and the magnetism of the channel. Winfrey provides leadership in programming and attracts superstar talent to join her in primetime, building a global community of like-minded viewers and leading that community to connect on social media and beyond. OWN is a singular destination on cable. Depth with edge. Heart. Star power. Connection. And endless possibilities. OWN is a joint venture between Harpo, Inc. and Discovery Communications. The network debuted on January 1, 2011. The venture also includes the award-winning digital platform Oprah.com.

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