Winfrey’s network signs with Tyler Perry

Oprah Winfrey

Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images

Associated Press

Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network is venturing into scripted programming for the first time through a deal with Tyler Perry.

OWN said Monday that Perry will produce, write and direct two series for the cable network to premiere next year. Perry is the creative force behind movies like Madea’s Family Reunion and the TBS series Tyler Perry’s House of Payne.

Perry credits advice from Winfrey for helping him write his first musical, I Know I’ve Been Changed, in 1992.

After its slow start, OWN has been improving its ratings performance recently – in large part through Winfrey’s more aggressive booking of interviews for her own show.

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