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Global Showbiz Briefs: Éclair Group Raises $16.6M; OWN Heads To Oz; Depardieu Breaks Silence; LoveFilm Streams Dis Pics

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Monday June 17, 2013 @ 9:00pm PDTTags: Discovery Networks, Eclair Group, Gerard Depardieu, Lovefilm, OWN

France’s Éclair Group Raises $16.6M Digital Switch, Development
Here’s some good news for France’s troubled postproduction sector. The Éclair Group has raised €12.4M ($16.6M) to complete its digital transition and speed up development across all of its businesses. The recapitalization was financed by the company’s current management, France’s Fonds de Consolidation et Développement des Entreprises, and by Tarak Ben Ammar’s Quinta Communications. (Ben Ammar had acquired 43% of Éclair back in 2007 and was keen to merge it with his LTC Laboratories but was blocked by the competition authority at the time.) Éclair will also use the funds to strengthen its restoration business and to equip French cinemas in partnership with Deluxe and HP.

OWN Programming Heading Down Under
OWN and Discovery Networks International are planning a weekly block of OWN programming for Discovery Home & Health in Australia. Starting August 4, Aussie viewers will have access to shows that include Oprah’s Next Chapter, Super Soul Sunday, America With Lisa Ling and The Oprah Winfrey Show: Behind The Scenes. The Australia bow will follow the recent UK launch of OWN programming on TLC. READ MORE »

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Wanda Sykes To Host 2 All-Female Summer Comedy Specials On Oprah Winfrey’s OWN

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Friday June 7, 2013 @ 8:15am PDTTags: OWN, Wanda Sykes

EXCLUSIVE: Wanda Sykes Presents Herlarious will air Saturday, July 13 and Saturday, July 20 at 10 PM on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN. The one-hour original comedy specials will be hosted and produced by Sykes and Page Hurwitz’s Push It Prods., in conjunction with Harpo Studios. The shows will be taped in front of a live studio audience at Harpo Studios in Chicago, the former home of The Oprah Winfrey Show. Scheduled to appear are emerging female stand-ups Andi Smith, Gloria Bigelow, Marina Franklin, Tracey Ashley, Carmen Lynch and Dominique Witten. Kym Whitley from OWN’s Raising Whitley is among those scheduled for a guest appearance. Sykes also will appear with her guests in a series of comedy shorts that will air throughout each hour. Sykes, Hurwitz and Harpo’s Jill Barancik executive produce. Longtime Sykes collaborators Lance Crouther (Wanda At Large) and Alyson Fouse (The Wanda Sykes Show) are writers on the project. Read More »

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Deadline Big Media With David Lieberman, Episode 37

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Friday May 31, 2013 @ 1:51pm PDTTags: Deadline Big Media, Hulu, Netflix, OWN

Listen to (and share) episode 37 of our audio podcast Deadline Big Media With David Lieberman. Deadline’s executive editor talks with host David Bloom about who’s likely to buy Hulu; whether OWN will pencil out for Discovery this year; Netflix plans to triple spending on original content; and whether the new News Corp. will scoop up the LA Times or other print publications.

Deadline Big Media, Episode 37 (MP3 format)
Deadline Big Media, Episode 37 (MP4a format) Read More »

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Tyler Perry’s ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ Debuts Strong On OWN

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday May 30, 2013 @ 1:26pm PDTTags: Love Thy Neighbor, OWN, Tyler Perry

It’s two for two for Tyler Perry on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN. The premiere of Perry’s comedy Love Thy Neighbor last night pulled in 1.65 million total viewers and a 1.4 rating in the W25-54 demo for … Read More »

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Solid Debut For Tyler Perry’s ‘The Haves And Have Nots’ On OWN

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday May 29, 2013 @ 12:36pm PDTTags: OWN, The Haves And The Have Nots, Tyler Perry
Nellie Andreeva

After a promo campaign that included Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey reprising their signature characters of Medea and Color Purple‘s Sofia and Perry guesting on Winfrey’s Next Chapter, Perry’s first series for Winfrey’s cable network … Read More »

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In A Subtle Shift, Discovery CEO Says OWN Will Be Profitable This Year

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Wednesday May 29, 2013 @ 6:27am PDTTags: David Zaslav, Discovery Communications, Oprah Winfrey, OWN

Up to now the company promised that its joint venture network with Oprah Winfrey would break even on a cash flow basis in the second half of 2013. But CEO David Zaslav slightly raised the stakes this morning, promising those attending Sanford C. Bernstein’s Strategic Decisions Conference that “we’ll be making money on OWN.” The channel — which stumbled out of the gate in 2011 — is “ahead of where we thought it would be” and “finding enormous success for us.” For example, on Saturday night, when it runs original programming without Winfrey, “we’re the No. 1 network for African American women.” The comment buttressed Zaslav’s broader argument that the pay TV business is in good shape, and Discovery is doing especially well in that environment. Zaslav is unfazed by the seemingly growing number of consumers who say that they’re fed up with rising pay TV rates, and want distributors to offer channels a la carte or on low-priced tiers. “This is a very sturdy system,” he says. “Viewers really enjoy the basic package…I don’t see that being challenged.” Read More »

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MIPTV Briefs: Keshet Int’l; AMC/Sundance; ‘Big Brother’; ‘Restless’; Bear Grylls; OWN UK; Warner TV Distribution

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Thursday April 4, 2013 @ 6:26am PDTTags: Bear Grylls, Discovery Networks International, MIPTV, OWN, Sundance Channel

Refresh for latest…

Keshet International‘s UK office has hired producer Amelia Hann as head of unscripted programming to oversee a new factual production venture. Hann was most recently executive producer on Channel 4’s The Undateables and her other credits include the BAFTA winning Ross Kemp On Gangs, Wife Swap USA, Baby Bible Bashers, Scrapheap Challenge/Junkyard Wars and The Hunt For Britain’s Sex Traffickers. Read More »

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OWN Picks Up Tyler Perry’s Sitcom ‘For Better Or Worse’, Orders Third Season

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday February 20, 2013 @ 1:06pm PSTTags: Oprah Winfrey, OWN, Tyler Perry
Nellie Andreeva

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network is quickly becoming the Oprah Winfrey & Tyler Perry Network. OWN has picked up Perry’s sitcom For Better Or Worse, ordering a third season of originals and acquiring the show’s existing … Read More »

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OWN Is “Moving In The Right Direction”, Discovery Chief Says

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Thursday February 14, 2013 @ 6:45am PSTTags: Discovery Communications, Oprah Winfrey, OWN, Tyler Perry

Ratings at the channel, a joint venture with Oprah Winfrey, are “ahead of where we thought we’d be,” Discovery CEO David Zaslav told analysts this morning. The audience was up in all 12 months of 2012, and was … Read More »

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Oprah’s OWN Sued For Sex Discrimination By Former Executive

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Friday February 1, 2013 @ 6:44pm PSTTags: Lawsuit, Oprah Winfrey, OWN

OWN’s former senior director of Scheduling and Acquisitions today sued the Oprah Winfrey founded network for sex and disability discrimination. In her complaint (read it here) for unspecified but wide ranging damages, Carolyn Hommel is also … Read More »

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John Schneider Among Actors Cast In Tyler Perry’s Two OWN Series

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday January 29, 2013 @ 6:15pm PSTTags: OWN, Tyler Perry
Nellie Andreeva

John SchneiderEXCLUSIVE: The Dukes Of Hazzard and Smallville alum John Schneider is set to star in Tyler Perry’s drama series for OWN, The Haves And The Have Nots, while six actors, including Jonathan Chase and Palmer Williams, have been cast in Perry’s comedy series for the cable network, Love Thy Neighbor. Both shows, written, directed and Produced by Perry through his Tyler Perry Studios, are set to premiere at the end of May.

The Haves And The Have Nots follows the dynamics of the affluent Cryer family and the impoverished family of Hanna, their housekeeper, and the obstacles and secrets that exist within both families. Innovative-repped Schneider will play Jim Cryer, the Cryer family patriarch. Read More »

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Lance Armstrong Confesses To Oprah: Video

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday January 17, 2013 @ 9:37pm PSTTags: Lance Armstrong, Oprah's Next Chapter, OWN

In the first clip from Oprah’s Next Chapter interview with the athlete, he answers simply “yes” to her questions about his use of different performance-enhancing substances and touches on his history, specifically when he began using banned substances:


In the clip that follows, Winfrey points out that for 13 years Armstrong “brazenly and defiantly denied everything you just admitted to … why now admit it”? Armstrong says “I don’t know that I have a great answer … I will start my answer by saying this is too late.” Read More »

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Ad Time For Oprah’s Lance Armstrong Interview Expected To Sell Out: Report

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday January 16, 2013 @ 5:43pm PSTTags: Lance Armstrong, Oprah's Next Chapter, OWN

Oprah Winfrey’s two-part interview with Lance Armstrong is close to selling out commercial time at premium prices, Reuters reports. OWN President Erik Logan said current and new sponsors have been calling to secure ad … Read More »

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OWN Expands Lance Armstrong Interview To Two Nights

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday January 15, 2013 @ 6:36am PSTTags: Lance Armstrong, Oprah Winfrey, OWN

Related: AP: Lance Armstrong Admits To Doping In Interview With Oprah Winfrey

Los Angeles – Oprah Winfrey’s exclusive no-holds-barred interview with Lance Armstrong, “Oprah and Lance Armstrong: The Worldwide Exclusive,” has expanded to air as a two-night event on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. The special episode of “Oprah’s Next Chapter” will air Thursday, January 17 from 9-10:30 p.m. ET/PT (as previously announced) and Friday, January 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The interview will be simultaneously streamed LIVE worldwide both nights on Oprah.com.

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AP: Lance Armstrong Admits To Doping In Interview With Oprah Winfrey

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Monday January 14, 2013 @ 4:55pm PSTTags: Lance Armstrong, Oprah Winfrey, OWN

Lance Armstrong confessed to Oprah Winfrey today in an interview that he used performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France, The Associated Press reports, citing a person familiar with the situation. The interview is scheduled … Read More »

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Coming Clean? Lance Armstrong Going On Oprah Next Week

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Tuesday January 8, 2013 @ 4:40pm PSTTags: Lance Armstrong, Oprah Winfrey, Oprah's Next Chapter, OWN

Is Lance Armstrong pedaling a confession? The disgraced former seven-time Tour de France cycling champion will appear on OWN’s Oprah’s Next Chapter on January 17, the network announced today. This interview with Oprah Winfrey will be Armstrong’s first since the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency charged him with using illegal performance-enhancing drugs during a career that has made him one of America’s and the world’s most well-known athletes. The big question is whether Oprah will rip the skin off Armstrong the way she did author James Frey after he promoted his recovery memoir A Million Little Pieces, and then came back to be flayed when it was revealed he’d embellished big parts of the book. Read More »

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OWN Orders Drama & Comedy Series From Tyler Perry

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday December 13, 2012 @ 10:50am PSTTags: Oprah Winfrey, OWN, Tyler Perry
Nellie Andreeva

That didn’t take long — two months after Oprah Winfrey‘s OWN announced a multi-year exclusive deal with Tyler Perry for scripted shows, the network has greenlighted two series written, directed and produced by Perry from his production company Tyler Perry Studios. Perry’s agreement with OWN called for him to write, direct and exec produce two series for a mid-2013 launch. Now the shows have been identified, drama The Haves And The Have Nots and comedy Love Thy Neighbor, the network confirmed. This marks the first drama series for the prolific Perry, who stayed strictly on the sitcom side with his TBS series, all done with Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury: House Of Payne, Meet The Browns and For Better Or Worse. The Tyler Perry shows mark OWN’s first scripted offerings.

Related: Tyler Perry Is Great For OWN: Analyst Read More »

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Tyler Perry Is Great For OWN, And No Big Loss For TBS And Lionsgate: Analyst

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Monday December 10, 2012 @ 8:21am PSTTags: Lionsgate, OWN, TBS, Tyler Perry

Cowen and Co analyst Doug Creutz makes a plausible case, although not completely persuasive one, for his prediction this morning that Tyler Perry’s decision to make OWN his TV platform will work out for everybody. Creutz acknowledges that details haven’t been announced for the two new scripted series that Perry will introduce in mid-2013 on Oprah Winfrey’s joint venture with Discovery. Also, ”we’re not sure Perry’s sitcoms are a great match for Oprah’s aspirational female-targeted brand,” Creutz says. Still, he forecasts that the entertainer’s deal “could potentially bring a meaningful ratings boost to OWN, helping that network climb to profitability in FY13.” Discovery CEO David Zaslav has already promised the Street that OWN will at least break even. Indeed, Creutz says that Perry could increase the prime time audience at OWN by 10% or more even with smaller ratings than he generates at TBS. Read More »

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Discovery CEO Says OWN Will Become Less “Teachy And Preachy” With Tyler Perry

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Tuesday November 6, 2012 @ 7:23am PSTTags: David Zaslav, Oprah Winfrey, OWN, Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry’s exclusive TV production deal with OWN shouldn’t turn the self-improvement channel into just another general entertainment network, Discovery CEO David Zaslav told analysts this morning. “This is something Oprah really wants,” he says. “We were … Read More »

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