Aug. 21 (Bloomberg) -- “Project Runway,” Weinstein Co.’s reality fashion show, was seen in 3.78 million U.S. households last night in its sixth-season premiere after moving to the Lifetime cable channel from Bravo.

The audience was the largest for a season-opening episode of the series, Lifetime Television, owned by Walt Disney Co. and closely held Hearst Corp., said today in a statement, citing Nielsen Co. data.

The new season of “Project Runway,” hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum, was delayed by litigation between Weinstein and General Electric Co.’s NBC Universal, owner of Bravo. The lawsuit was settled in April, with Weinstein agreeing to pay an undisclosed sum for the right to move the program to Lifetime, NBC Universal said in an e-mailed statement at the time.

Disney, the world’s biggest media company, rose 90 cents, or 3.5 percent, to $26.79 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The Burbank, California-based company has gained 18 percent this year. Hearst is based in New York.

To contact the reporter on this story: Andy Fixmer in Los Angeles at afixmer@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: August 21, 2009 16:04 EDT