OWN'S "THE HAVES AND THE HAVE NOTS" SETS NEW RECORD AS MOST-WATCHED SEASON PREMIERE IN NETWORK HISTORY WITH 3.3 MILLION VIEWERS

Premiere Sets Record As Highest-Rated Telecast in Series History in Network's Key Women 25-54 Demo

Los Angeles - OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network's season premiere of "The Haves and the Have Nots" set a new network record with 3.3 million total viewers - the most-watched season premiere in network history. The Tuesday night premiere (6/30/15) was also the highest-rated telecast in series history among the network's core W25-54 demo (2.80 rating).

Last night's episode was the highest-rated Tuesday night cable telecast in 2015 to date among W25-54. Additionally, Tuesday's premiere ranked as the night's #1 cable telecast among W25-54 and W18-49, making OWN the night's #1 cable network among W25-54 and W18-49.

Source: The Nielsen Company

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

The one-hour drama, "The Haves and the Have Nots," follows the tangled lives of the wealthy Cryer and Harrington families and the poor Young family. As the season begins, all three of the families are in crisis. A fire tears through the Harrington mansion, sparked by socialite Veronica Harrington (Angela Robinson) in a fit of jealous rage aimed at her husband David Harrington (Peter Parros). Once again, Candace Young (Tika Sumpter) who extorted millions from judge Jim Cryer (John Schneider), finds herself in the crosshairs of trouble --- accused by Jim and his wife Katheryn (Renee Lawless) for the death of their daughter and stopping at nothing to find her missing child. Meanwhile, the sons --- Wyatt Cryer (Aaron O'Connell), Jeffrey Harrington (Gavin Houston) and Benny Young (Tyler Lepley) --- must grapple with their own issues and the aftermath of their actions. And Young family matriarch, Hanna (Crystal Fox), struggles to hold her family together. 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.