OWN'S "THE HAVES AND THE HAVE NOTS" DELIVERS MOST-WATCHED SEASON PREMIERE IN NETWORK HISTORY WITH 3.22 MILLION VIEWERS

Los Angeles - OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network's season premiere of "The Haves and the Have Nots," the hit drama series from Tyler Perry, set a network record with 3.22 million total viewers - the most-watched season premiere in network history.

The Tuesday night premiere (1/6/15) increased +16% in total viewers vs. its year ago premiere (2.78 million total viewers on 1/7/14) and +4% in total viewers vs. the prior spring premiere (3.11 million total viewers on 5/27/14). Additionally, the premiere delivered a 2.31 rating in the network's key women 25-54 demo, building +7% from its first half hour to its second (2.24 rating to a 2.39 rating W25-54).

The episode also brought in more male viewers to the network ranking as the #1 telecast in series history and the #2 in OWN history across all key male demos.

On the social media front, Tuesday night's premiere ranked as the #2 most social series episode of the night for cable and #3 across broadcast and cable with 62.5K tweets and 14.4K unique authors. (Source: Nielsen, 1/6/15, Episode Level, All Series, New/Live, ranked by Tweets.)

Source: Nielsen

About "The Haves and The Have Nots" (Tuesdays at 9 p.m.)

"The Haves and the Have Nots" follows the complicated dynamic between the rich and powerful Cryer family and the hired help who work in their opulent mansion set in Savannah, Georgia. This season picked up from the cliffhanger finale with Judge Jim Cryer (John Schneider) being held hostage by nemesis and former lover Candace Young (Tika Sumpter). The series is produced for OWN by Tyler Perry Studios. It is created, written, directed and executive produced by Tyler Perry.

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 and is available in 85 million homes. The venture also includes the award-winning digital platform Oprah.com. For more information, please visit www.oprah.com/own.