Posted on 04/01/2012 4:49:20 PM PDT by abb
Oprah Winfrey's cable channel struck a distribution deal with Comcast Corp., lifting the number of homes in which the network can be seen, according to people familiar with the situation. Related Video
As a result of the deal, 17 million Comcast subscribers will be able to watch the network, known as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, up from about 14 million currently. Comcast had 22.3 million video subscribers on Dec. 31. Overall, OWN will be in 83 million homes, up from 80 million, people close to channel said.
Comcast also agreed to begin paying subscriber fees for the channel at the start of next year, the people familiar with the situation said. The cable operator currently carries the channel without paying subscriber fees.
The agreement is good news for OWN, which has grappled with management turmoil, cost overruns, and concern about its ratingsdespite a recent boost from the premiere of Ms. Winfrey's own show on the channel in January. The network is jointly owned by Ms. Winfrey and Discovery Communications Inc.
Two weeks ago, the network said it would cut 30 jobs as part of a cost-cutting measure, under which it said it would outsource many operations to Discovery and Ms. Winfrey's Harpo Inc.
Boosting OWN's anemic subscription fees is a central priority for the network. Fees from cable and satellite operators often account for at least half the revenue of many cable networks and are a reason why they are so profitable. By contrast, OWN didn't initially earn subscription revenue from its distributors when it went on air early last year, people close to the channel said.
snip
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Own is a disaster financially but no one dares fire Oprahs network, but they cant make people watch.
I think the liberals and Mayor Bloomberg may differ. I can see the Executive Order now that requires all Americans to watch Oprah as necessary to stimulate the economy and combat those racists Tea Party people.
How much does it cost each subscriber to amortize 1200 donuts?
Might be cheaper to buy a donut shop....
(tip of the hat to Yogi Berra)
I stopped watching “Oprah” when she had Hellaary Clinton on and they discussed the book “It Takes A Village”......neither of them have taken in an orphan. They both suck....and do double-speak!
Don’t tell me what I should do.......Hellary Clinton and Oprah Winfrey.....show me what you do, bit@es! You do nothing but dictate to those with less ca$h!
http://jezebel.com/5898152/oprahs-own-is-not-quite-dead-yet
By Doug Barry
Apr 1, 2012 3:10 PM
Oprahs OWN Is Not Quite Dead Yet
It’s not quite time to mourn the passing of the television hothouse experiment in hubris that is Oprah’s floundering cable channel Comcast has agreed to a new distribution deal with the Oprah Winfrey Network, which would guarantee that OWN will be beaming its mediocre programming into 83 million homes, according to the Wall Street Journal, up from the network’s previous reach of 80 million.
Despite a recent boost from the debut of Oprah’s own show, OWN has been plagued by management turmoil, cost overruns, nearly constant concern over its poor ratings, and a very public power struggle between Rosie O’Donnell and Caesar Winfrey. Just two weeks ago, OWN, which is owned by Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications Inc., announced that it would cut 30 jobs as a cost-cutting measure, and outsource many of its in-house jobs to Discovery. The deal with Comcast will buoy OWN for the time being, helping increase the network’s subscription fees, which often account for at least half of many cable networks’ revenue (OWN didn’t initially earn any subscription revenue from its distributors when it hit the airwaves early last year). For the time being, at least, we can take comfort in knowing that Oprah will on tv at least a little while, and maybe this brush with sudden cable death will teach her and her management team that what the network really needs is some more surprise giveaways and maybe a show in which Oprah replaces all the books on your bookshelf with others she thinks you should be reading instead.
I read an article in Forbes this morning where an Indian billionaire founded a satellite cable TV network that has 500 million viewers.
Then we read of Kieth Olderman on algores pitiful effort with 30,000 viewers.
Ha....
“I can see the Executive Order now that requires all Americans to watch Oprah as necessary to stimulate the economy and combat those racists Tea Party people.”
Shades of “1984”. Large screens everywhere showing only what Big Brother wants us to see. Coming in 2013 if Obama is re-elected. God, help us!
Krispy Kreme stock went the way of the O : )
Krispy Kreme stock went the way of the O : )
Heck, Travel Channel is turning into Food Network. Man vs Food, Andrew Zimmern and that pompous ass Anthony Bourdain.
I wish they'd feature Samantha Brown again. I'm interested in TRAVEL.
I Know TELL ME ABOUT IT Yikes
I rather watch Deadliest Catch guys than OPRAH I did see some of programming BOY IT STUNK LOL! the Oprah network
I Know TELL ME ABOUT IT Yikes
I rather watch Deadliest Catch guys than OPRAH I did see some of programming BOY IT STUNK LOL! the Oprah network
I Know TELL ME ABOUT IT Yikes
I rather watch Deadliest Catch guys than OPRAH I did see some of programming BOY IT STUNK LOL! the Oprah network
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.