Bravo comes Out online

Cable channel Bravo, which airs the popular gay-themed shows Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Project Runway, announced today it is teaming with gay media company PlanetOut Inc. to create a broadband site that will cater to gay and lesbian audiences. The site, called OutzoneTV.com, will feature a mix of original programming and repurposed cable content. Outzone is just one of several sites Bravo will be launching in March of 2006 as part of an aggressive push into broadband--at the same time, TRIO.com and BrilliantButCancelled.com will also be launched.

OutzoneTV.com is an outgrowth of the popular OUTzone block of programming that aired on defunct cable network TRIO, and it is being touted as the first broadband channel specifically targeted to gay and lesbians. PlanetOUT will supply advertising for OutzoneTV as well as editorial content from its sites PlanetOUT.com and Gay.com. Bravo will host and program the site, which will feature original programming and repeats of shows like gay dating show Boy Meets Boy and gay wedding planner show Gay Weddings.

"Bravo has been extremely successful with reaching gay viewers through high-quality, ground-breaking programming that resonates," said Bravo president Lauren Zalaznick. "Our strategic partnership with PlanetOut in the broadband space, with their additional expertise, is going to make OutzoneTV.com a huge success."

Bravo has previously dabbled in gay programming with the reality shows Queer Eye and Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, starring the gay comedy icon. The network, whose catchphrase is "See what happens," launched in 1980 as an outlet dedicated to the arts. They had success with shows like Inside the Actor's Studio before being acquired by NBC Universal in 2002.

PlanetOut is a world leader in media and entertainment serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. Among its many properties are The Advocate and Out Traveler.

Bravo joins many "old" media companies that are now beefing up their online presence. All four major networks have made some of their shows available for download at sources such as iTunes and Google Video, and many of them make special content available on their respective Web sites.