“Project Runway” In Pending

As you well know if you’re following entertainment news, the reality show “Project Runway” was supposed to move from the Bravo network to Lifetime. However, a New York Supreme Court Judge over-ruled the deal. It allowed NBC (owner of Bravo) a last opportunity to match the terms of the deal, as the company claimed this right was stipulated in the original contract between the Bravo network and the Weinstein Company, the owner of “Project Runway”.

Both parties are shocked by this decision, as cases regarding the entertainment industry are rarely based on such clauses. The decision obviously put “Project Runway” between a rock and a hard place, as the Court also issued an order by which the Weinstein Company cannot market the show or spin-offs to any other network, as they had originally planned.

The Court’s decision was also highly detrimental to Lifetime, as their winter schedule was built around “Project Runway”, said to start airing in January. NBC officials stated they were very pleased with the court’s decision of allowing a preliminary injunction against the Weinstein Company, as it is concluding evidence that the latter violated NBC’s right to be the first to refuse future “Project Runway” seasons. The Weinstein Company issued a statement saying it would make an appeal.

Lifetime stated that the ones most hurt by this decision are the “Project Runway” die-hard fans. It’s easy to understand why both companies are fighting tooth and nail for the show: the fourth season had an average of 3.8 million women viewers, aged 18-49, and the season’s finale – a whopping 6.1 million female viewers.

The trial date will be scheduled by the Judge and the two parties on October 15th. The possibility of the two companies to reach a private settlement is not one to be overlooked.

The show's producers at The Weinstein Company decided in April to move the show to Lifetime starting with the sixth season, prompting a breach-of-contract lawsuit from NBC Universal.

“Project Runway” was announced among this year’s recipients of the Peabody award for excellence in radio and television broadcasting Wednesday, thus becoming the first reality television show to ever win the prestigious prize. “Project Runway” is hosted and executive produced by German supermodel Heidi Klum.

Via efluxmedia.com