Oxygen Launches THE GLEE PROJECT Talent Show with Murphy, Criss

Coming off its third consecutive best-year-ever in all key metrics; its most watched year ever in primetime; and staking its claim as the fastest growing women's network among W18-49 and A18-49, Oxygen Media continues its momentum with an increase in its original programming slate by an additional 26% in 2011 anchored by the highly anticipated competition series "The Glee Project" which launches a new night of programming beginning Sunday, June 12 at 9 PM ET/PT. In addition, Emmy (R) winning "Glee" creator and "The Glee Project" EP Ryan Murphy will join casting director Robert Ulrich, choreographer and "Glee" co-producer Zach Woodlee in the final deliberations of each installment of the 10-episode series. Darren Criss (Glee's "Blaine"), who joined the "Glee" cast this season, will be a guest mentor to the contenders in the premiere episode. The announcements were made today by Oxygen, whose star-studded upfront presentation will be held this evening.

Jason Klarman, President, Oxygen Media said: "Originals have been the growth engine for our brand and business. Bringing "Glee" and its unscripted spin-off "The Glee Project" to the network is the icing on the cake to an incredible 2011/2012 line up of shows."

"The Glee Project" finds and trains a group of extraordinarily talented performers, who vie for a seven episode guest starring role on "Glee." From thousands of entries, and an exhaustive nationwide talent search, the series uncovers a unique group of artists with both professional and amateur backgrounds, proving every underdog has a fighting chance at stardom. "The Glee Project" is produced by Ryan Murphy Television and Embassy Row with Ryan Murphy, Dante di Loreto, Michael Davies and Shauna Minoprio serving as executive producers. In February, Oxygen's first "Gleekend" drew 4.4 million viewers to the network during the 12 hour Glee marathon. The network's next "Gleekend" will premiere in mid-May. Additionally, Oxygen is the exclusive cable home to the series, which will air on the channel beginning in 2013.

Oxygen ad sales grew 12% year over year powered by new relationships with blue chip advertisers including Dell, Frito Lay, Ford, Master Card, Virgin Mobile, Microsoft and Verizon. Celebrating the network's new benchmark in viewership and key demos in 2010, Oxygen boasted 75 new advertising partners last year including Estee Lauder, Office Depot and TJ Maxx/Marshalls to name a few.

Susan Malfa, Senior Vice President, Ad Sales for Bravo, Oxygen and Women at NBCU stated, "We've been out in the marketplace with our message: Oxygen is a must watch, must connect, must buy brand." She added, "Our Gen O audience of young, successful women aged 18-34 and 18-49 engage with our content and each other on every one of our platforms creating a must buy network for advertisers who want to target women at a highly consumptive point in their lives."

Klarman added: "Oxygen is now a top 20 network for young women with one of the most enviable audience profiles not only in the women's space but in all of cable."

In digital news, Oxygen recently inked partnerships with Broadcastr, a new social-media platform for creating and sharing location based stories on iPhone, Android and the web and GroupMe, a group messaging and conference calling service that allows members to stay in touch with groups of people via smartphones. Oxygen and Broadcastr plan to inaugurate their partnership with exclusive content on the augmented reality app, narrated by Paris Hilton, as she shares her 10 favorite places around the world with fans of "The World According to Paris." In addition, Oxygen's digital properties delivered significant double and triple digit gains in 2010 with Oxygen.com recording a +51% increase in uniques and a +88% increase in video streams. Oxygen mobile experienced enormous success with an astounding +96% increase in total page views and a +120% jump in average monthly uniques. Oxygen's total digital revenue grew at an impressive 63% year over year and the network's innovative digital content platforms were a major contributing factor to the year's ratings accomplishments and continue to be a huge driver in enhancing the Oxygen viewer experience. For last season's premiere of "Bad Girls Club Miami," Oxygen brought social TV to the next level launching OxygenLive TV, which, for the first-time ever, merged social media giants Facebook and Twitter with program content.

*According to Omniture.

Nielsen Media Research, Live+7. Fastest growing women's network = 2010 vs 2009, women's networks include LIF, LMN, WE, SOAP, & OXY. Cable ranks includes ad supported cable entertainment networks, and excludes networks that air in less than 50% of the daypart, cvg rtg. Gleekend viewership = Nielsen TVToolbox, LS total viewers Total US, 6 min qualifier.

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 "Bad Girls Club," "Hair Battle Spectacular," and "Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood," the growing cable network is the premiere destination to find unique and groundbreaking unscripted programming. 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, as well as innovative tools shopOholic and makeOvermatic. Oxygen is available in 76 million homes, and can be found online and on mobile devices atwww.oxygen.com. Follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/OxygenPR. Oxygen Media is a service of NBCUniversal.