By Emily Chasan
Mon Apr 7, 4:30 PM PDT

NBC Universal and its Bravo cable network will lose the popular television reality show "Project Runway" as the show unveiled plans on Monday to jump to rival cable network Lifetime Television.

The show, in which fledgling fashion designers compete for money to launch their own line, has been one of Bravo's top-rated shows.

NBC Universal filed suit on Monday in New York State Supreme Court against the show's producer, The Weinstein Co, claiming that the network and Bravo had the right of first refusal for future cycles of the show and any spinoffs.

"Project Runway" will move to Lifetime for its sixth season beginning in November as part of a five-year deal, the network and The Weinstein Co said.

In the lawsuit, NBC claimed it has been negotiating with Weinstein for more than a year to gain exclusive rights to broadcast subsequent cycles of the program, but that Weinstein threatened to take the show to another network unless NBC agreed

to acquire a package of unrelated Weinstein films for "many millions of additional dollars."

NBC is seeking a preliminary and permanent injunction to prevent Weinstein from taking the show to another network.

"It is always unfortunate when parties try to win in court what they have lost in the marketplace," David Boies, an attorney for Weinstein said in a statement.

Project Runway just completed its fourth cycle, and NBC said in the suit that it is in production for the fifth season on Bravo.

But NBC said on Monday that it may have to decide whether to continue to air the show.

"NBC Universal regrettably had no alternative but to bring legal action to enforce its rights to this program, including the right to decide whether it is in the best interest of the company to continue to air the show under the proposed financial terms," the company said in a statement.

Heidi Klum, the show's supermodel host, and Tim Gunn, chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne Inc who mentors the show's contestants, have also agreed to move to Lifetime, the network said in a statement.

The seven-time Emmy-nominated show premiered on Bravo in 2005 and averaged more than 3.5 million viewers per episode in its most recent season.

NBC is controlled by General Electric Co. France's Vivendi owns a minority stake.

(Additional reporting Edith Honan in New York and Bob Tourtellotte in Los Angeles; Editing by Ted Kerr, Richard Chang)

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I read this bullshit last night Lifetime is synonymous with BORING SHITFEST - you don't move the best show you've got (with a good following already) to fucking Lifetime. I don't even know what channel Lifetime IS b/c I never watch. Yes, I'll learn but that's not the point NOT COOL...

Why is that show still on the air?

I mean after the first season, wtf is the point? That crap and ANTM are done.

Well, I want this show to go on. I think I've loved every season. AMAZING clothes.

CalhounSq said:

Ummmm...you think Bravo's happy about this? Bravo and Lifetime are not owned by the same company. Lifetime stole PR out from under Bravo's nose. It wasn't a case of of NBC/Bravo saying to Lifetime, "Here - you take it for awhile."

btw

HOW...DARE...YOU

Lifetime is amazing.

It's the only network where you can turn it on any time and be guaranteed a good two hours of girl meets boy, boy is charming, boy goes psycho and other assorted movies about nutcases and people hitting eachother in the head with vases. It doesn't get any better than Meredith Baxter driving cars through houses. WTF Mrs. Keaton?

CalhounSq said:

this is revenge

Lifetime was the channel for women and gay men before PR changed the course of Bravo.

Lifetime has the Golden Girls and Designing Women and now maybe PR? OMG it could totally blow Logo and here! out of the water now let alone the mighty Bravo.

Genesia said:

You don't understand my point at all. I'm talking about the Weinstien's - they're banking on the show to bring Lifetime UP as a network. They only care about $ obviously, which I get - they're businessmen. But damn, I'd much rather be associated w/ the Bravo "brand" (image, association, reputation) than a channel like Lifetime. At least Bravo has pretty strong lead-in programming, which must help Runway's ratings some. WTF does Lifetime have - the Fantasia movie???

Dance said:

I dare you to say something positive, just once. I fucking DARE you