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WE Makes It Three With Royals Biopic

Aug 15, 2005  •  Post A Comment

As part of an effort to increase its output of original programming, Rainbow Media Holdings-owned WE: Women’s Entertainment has greenlighted “Charles & Camilla: Whatever Love Means,” the second original movie in the network’s history.

The feature is the first movie greenlighted under Executive VP and General Manager Kim Martin, who took the network’s reins in December 2004, and the third network offering based on the British royal family.

The movie profiles the love affair between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, starting in the 1970s and leading up to their recent wedding.

Planned for a fourth-quarter 2005 premiere, the movie is produced with United Kingdom-based Granada International. The deal represents the first co-production between Granada and WE. WE and Granada had no comment.

Ms. Martin has increased the amount of WE original programming by about 30 percent since joining the network late last year. So far her efforts appear to be paying off, with WE’s most recent quarterly prime-time ratings up 19 percent among adults 18 to 49, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The second season of the network’s reality series “Bridezillas,” whose July 31 finale was the highest-rated original telecast in the network’s history, led the network’s summer ratings surge. A recent WE effort to acquire the Miss America Pageant stumbled, however, when the franchise ultimately chose to go with Viacom-owned CMT.

“Charles & Camilla” will not be the Rainbow-owned network’s first exploration of the couple’s tabloid-filling relationship. WE aired live coverage of the royal wedding and produced a one-hour special, “Charles and Camilla’s Wedding Day,” which was the network’s highest-rated special to date. WE also produced the special “Young, Sexy & Royal,” which performed solidly.

New programming includes yet another royal effort, “American Princess,” a reality series in which a group of young American women compete for a British title.