VH1 has renewed Single Ladies for a third season, and the series is celebrating with a round of new Smirnoff cocktails integrated into the last episode of the current season.
Single Ladies has been averaging 3.2 million total viewers this season, up 10% from season one, the network says. It's up 17% in the 18-49 year old adult demographic. Season three is set to premiere in 2013.
"Our viewers' love affair with Single Ladies got even bigger this year, growing significantly from its successful first season and dominating its timeslot on basic cable," Jeff Olde, executive VP of original programming & production at VH1, said in a statement. "We're extremely happy that we'll be able to give the audience another great season of the series and its honest, current take on love, dating and female friendship."
Meanwhile, in the last episode of season two, airing August 27, as part of an integrated marketing deal, viewers will get a peak at two new flavors from Smirnoff Vodka's confectionary line: Smirnoff Iced Cake and Smirnoff Kissed Caramel.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The spirits will be featured at a party being promoted by April, one of the Single Ladies characters, at a hot nightclub in Atlanta.
According to Smirnoff, it's the first time the company has showed off a new product to a national audience prior to its official launch.
"As purveyors of original nightlife, Smirnoff is consistently seeking new and innovative ways to bring fans unique experiences," said Sandhya Padmanabhan, brand manager for Smirnoff. "The partnership between Smirnoff and VH1 is only just beginning, but we're inspired by the work we've already accomplished and look forward to continuing to bring fans of both brands together through compelling original content and one-of-a-kind moments."
Single Ladies is one of our most popular series," said Mark McIntire, senior VP for integrated balloting at VH1. "Both the Smirnoff branding and the actual product have been organically incorporated into an already engaging storyline that millions of our viewers tune into each week. It's the ideal environment that will showcase the new product."
Single Ladies is VH1's first hour-long scripted romantic comedy. It stars LisaRaye McCoy, Charity Shea and Denise Vasi. Queen Latifah, Shakim Compere and Shelby Stone are executive producers for Flavor Unit Entertainment.
