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Oprah Winfrey And Tyler Perry Dress The Part For OWN Promo: Video

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday April 4, 2013 @ 5:01pm PDTTags: Oprah Winfrey, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, Tyler Perry

For those that ever wondered what would happen if Tyler Perry‘s Madea came upon Oprah Winfrey‘s Color Purple character Sofia while driving down a country road — well, this is your lucky day. OWN unveiled this promo for Perry’s two new series during today’s upfront in NY. It begins airing on the network tonight, and features Madea asking Sofia how to find the network. “Girl child, it ain’t safe in a world of cable channels”, Sofia says. A pair of Perry series — drama The Haves And Have Nots and comedy Love Thy Neighbor — will have their series premieres on the network May 28 and May 29, respectively. Check it out:

rtmp://streaming.deadline.com/ondemand/video/Tyler_Perry_Madea_Sophia_tease_60.flv

Related: Discovery Shows Off Star Power At Upfront Presentation

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OWN Sets Launch Plans For Tyler Perry Series, Orders 2 New Unscripted Shows

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday April 4, 2013 @ 7:00am PDTTags: Big Deals TV, Love Thy Neighbor, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Haves And The Have Nots, Tyler Perry
Nellie Andreeva

The May 28-29 debuts of Tyler Perry‘s new original scripted series for OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network will be preceded by an Oprah’s Next Chapter episode May 26 featuring a Winfrey interview with Perry. It will be immediately followed by Tyler Perry Comes To OWN: Behind The Scenes, a special about the making of the two series, drama The Haves And The Have Nots and comedy Love Thy Neighbor. The Haves And Have Nots premieres May 28 at 9 PM, while Love Thy Neighbor launches May 29 at 9 PM with two back-to-back episodes.

Additionally, OWN has greenlighted two new unscripted series: Millionaire Mama’s Boy, about the dynamic relationship between WNBA star Pamela McGee and her NBA star son JaVale, and Houston Beauty, about the world of a Texas beauty school. Here are the network’s descriptions: Read More »

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OWN Greenlights 4 Unscripted Series, Sets Premiere Date For Tyler Perry Sitcoms: TCA

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Saturday January 5, 2013 @ 9:00am PSTTags: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
Nellie Andreeva

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network this morning announced four new unscripted series for 2013, including docu-series Raising Whitley, about comedienne Kym Whitley and her friends; Dogfellas, about a mobster-turned-dog groomer; and Blackboard Wars, about the efforts to improve a troubled New Orleans high school. OWN also has given a series order to Golden Sisters, the special/backdoor pilot about three frisky octogenarian sisters that aired last month. Additionally, the network has set May 29 as a premiere date for its first scripted series from Tyler Perry, drama The Haves and the Have Nots and half-hour comedy Love Thy Neighbor. “All of these new programs reflect the best of the human spirit. From the funny to the dramatic, we are always shooting for to-the-bone real,” said Sheri Salata, president, OWN. Returning with new episodes this year are OWN’s three Oprah series, Oprah’s Master Class, Oprah: Where Are They Now? and Oprah’s Next Chapter as well as Iyanla: Fix My Life. Upcoming guests for the network’s flagship Oprah’s Next Chapter include Drew Barrymore, LL Cool J and Whitney Houston’s mother Cissy Houston on the one year anniversary of the singer’s death. Here are descriptions of OWN’s new and returning series: Read More »

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Discovery CEO Claims OWN Will Break Even In 2013 Even If Misses Distribution Goal: UBS

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Tuesday December 4, 2012 @ 7:26am PSTTags: David Zaslav, Discovery Communications, Oprah Winfrey, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

Although the goals were set independently, David Zaslav says that his joint venture with Oprah Winfrey is growing fast enough that it doesn’t have to expand to 85M homes — from 80M now — to fulfill his prediction that it will break even in the second half of 2013. “The ratings growth has been fantastic,” he told investors and analysts on Day 2 of the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference. The “cherry on top,” he says, is that “we’re the home for Tyler Perry on television.” On Saturdays, OWN ranks first or second with black women, attracting more of the demo than ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC combined.

Related: Oprah’s OWN And Tyler Perry In Deal For Scripted Series

Zaslav’s comment about OWN reflects his overall optimism about the state of his company and the programming business. He acknowledged that ad sales were slow in October. Discovery was “hurt more by the Olympics than we expected” — in part due to his decision not to schedule strong shows against the games. But since the election both volume and pricing have been “quite good.” He warns that the outlook “could change a week or two from now” if there’s no compromise in Washington to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff, although “it’s getting pretty late for [the negotiations to avoid the fiscal cliff] to have an impact” in Q4. Read More »

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‘Oprah’s Next Chapter’ Plans First Global Telecast For Justin Bieber Interview

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday October 24, 2012 @ 1:16pm PDTTags: Oprah's Next Chapter, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network has announced that its Sunday night interview show Oprah’s Next Chapter will air around the world for the first time next month when Winfrey interviews pop singer Justin Bieber. The November 25 episode … Read More »

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Oprah’ OWN And Tyler Perry In Deal For Scripted Series: Exclusive & Multi-Year

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday October 1, 2012 @ 9:03am PDTTags: Oprah Winfrey, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, Tyler Perry
Nellie Andreeva

Tyler Perry and Oprah WinfreyLong-time friends (and the two richest African Americans in showbiz) Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry are now forging a business partnership. OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network has inked an exclusive multi-year deal with Perry. Under the pact, he will executive produce, write and direct two new scripted series for a mid-2013 premiere on OWN, marking the network’s first foray into scripted programming. “I have been looking forward to the day when we would be in the position to enter the world of scripted television. That day has come,” said Oprah Winfrey, OWN’s CEO. “We are all energized by the opportunity to collaborate with Tyler who has a proven track record for producing highly successful cable series.” Read More »

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OWN’s ‘Iyanla: Fix My Life’ Debuts Strong, ‘Welcome To Sweetie Pie’s’ Return Hits Series High

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Tuesday September 18, 2012 @ 11:57am PDTTags: Oprah Winfrey, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, Ratings

OWN had a good weekend and it wasn’t all thanks to Oprah Winfrey. The two-night series premiere of Iyanla: Fix My Life was OWN’s top debut since the network went on air in January 2011. The Season 2 premiere of Welcome To Sweetie Pie’s on Saturday at 9 PM brought that reality show a series high. Meanwhile, the Winfrey-starring shows Super Soul Sunday and Oprah’s Next Chapter also saw big gains during the weekend. Read More »

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OWN Sets Summer Primetime Schedule

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Friday April 27, 2012 @ 10:30am PDTTags: Oprah's Next Chapter, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

OWN Schedule Summer 2012OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network today unveiled its summer primetime lineup that includes six new series – Are You Normal, America?, Lives On Fire, Lovetown, USA, Million Dollar Neighborhood, Real Life: The Musical and Super Saver Showdown. The new Friday-Monday schedule includes fresh episodes of Oprah’s Next Chapter are on tap as well as the return of the documentary series Our America With Lisa Ling, which comes back June 10. Here’s the complete schedule: Read More »

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OWN Orders 4 New Series, Renews ‘Oprah’s Master Class’ & ‘Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday April 5, 2012 @ 7:12am PDTTags: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
Nellie Andreeva

Ahead of Discovery Communications’ upfront presentation in New York this afternoon, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced the green light for four primetime unscripted series, Elura and Michele Take Staten Island, about 2 Staten Island best friends who are former prosecutors,  Iyanla Fix My Life, starring inspirational speaker Iyanla Vanzant, Married to the Army: Alaska, about army wives in Alaska, and Six Little McGhees, about a family with sextuplets. Additionally, the network has renewed Oprah’s Master Class, which has posted ratings increases in Season 2, for a third season and has ordered 10 additional episodes of one of the fledgling network’s most popular shows, docu-series Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s, about the family behind the popular St. Louis soul food restaurant. OWN also announced that producer Barry Poznick (Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?) and comedienne Kim Coles (Living Single) have been tapped as hosts of the upcoming game show Are You Normal, America?, which premieres this summer. It is based on the Am I Normal segment on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Read More »

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Oprah’s Interview With Whitney Houston’s Daughter Delivers Ratings Record For OWN

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday March 12, 2012 @ 11:57am PDTTags: Oprah Winfrey, Oprah's Next Chapter, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, Ratings
Nellie Andreeva

Oprah Interviews Whitney Houston's DaughterOprah Winfrey successfully returned to the type of exclusive celebrity interviews that were the bread and butter of her syndicated daytime talk show. Last night’s special 90-minute edition of Winfrey’s new OWN primetime series Oprah’s Next … Read More »

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Oprah Winfrey Starts Oscar Special Franchise On OWN

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday February 9, 2012 @ 1:01pm PSTTags: Oprah Winfrey, Oscars, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
Nellie Andreeva

Oprah Winfrey, whose post-Academy Award specials were among the highest-rated episodes of her syndicated daytime talk show, is launching what likely will be an Oscar primetime special franchise on OWN. Oprah’s Oscar Special will air on February 15. This is … Read More »

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Cable Notes: Nick At Nite Orders 80-Episode Telenovela, OWN Expands ‘Oprah’s Next Chapter’ To 2 Nights

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday January 24, 2012 @ 12:20pm PSTTags: Oprah's Next Chapter, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
Nellie Andreeva

Six years after MyNetwork TV’s failed attempt to launch U.S. versions of Spanish-language telenovelas as daily primetime soaps, Nickelodeon is giving it a shot. The cable network, in partnership with Mexican TV giant Televisa, has ordered 80 episodes of a … Read More »

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OWN Greenlights 3 New Unscripted Series

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday January 13, 2012 @ 10:11am PSTTags: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
Nellie Andreeva

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network has picked up 3 new original series to premiere later this year, Lovetown, USA; Lives On Fire; and Are You Normal, America? “Each of our new shows is right on brand and aligned with Oprah’s intention to bring our audience meaningful, entertaining programming,” said Sheri Salata, president, OWN.  Added Erik Logan, president, OWN, “We feel really good about the direction the network is heading in 2012 and we’re just getting started.” Here are descriptions of the series: Read More »

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Discovery Urges Investors To Be Patient With Oprah Winfrey: Citigroup Confab

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Thursday January 5, 2012 @ 1:09pm PSTTags: Discovery Communications, Investigation Discovery, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub

Discovery CFO Bradley Singer couldn’t have been surprised to be asked at Citigroup’s Global Media, Entertainment and Telecommunications Conference about what’s up with OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Bankers and investors are still waiting to see significant progress at Discovery’s struggling, high-profile joint venture with the talk show host and entrepreneur. But his answer was also familiar: Wait. Now that Oprah’s running the operation “we feel real good about the direction the network is headed in. It’s just building block after building block.” The channel’s financial prospects, he added, depend on how well it can build its viewing audience.

Most of the other questions were a lot easier considering that Discovery has one of the highest profit margins in cable programming. Singer says the ad market continues to improve. “We have not been impacted yet by anything you might read” about weakness in the overall economy. Meanwhile channels that have taken off over the last year, led by ID: Investigation Discovery, have “that much room to grow in terms of advertising.” He’s also optimistic about The Hub, the joint venture with Hasbro. “Long term, that could be Read More »

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Tom Shadyac’s ‘I Am’ Documentary To Debut Jan. 1 On Oprah Winfrey Network

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Saturday December 10, 2011 @ 5:37pm PSTTags: I Am, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, Super Soul Sunday, Tom Shadyac

Tom Shadyac’s documentary I Am will kick off OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network’s Super Soul Sunday programming block on January 1, 2012. Onetime hit feature director Shadyac’s life took quite a turn after he suffered a concussion in a cycling … Read More »

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New OWN Series ‘Beverly’s Full House’ Set For February

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday November 16, 2011 @ 1:25pm PSTTags: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, TV Schedule

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today that the new docu-series Beverly’s Full House, featuring supermodel Beverly Johnson, will premiere in February. It will be a “humorous and heartfelt” look at what happens when three generations of Johnson’s family — her … Read More »

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COO Peter Liguori To Exit Discovery

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday November 9, 2011 @ 5:59am PSTTags: 3net, David Zaslav, Discovery Communications, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, Peter Liguori, The Hub
Nellie Andreeva

Peter Liguori Mulling Exit From Discovery

This is now happening — I have learned that Discovery Communications COO Peter Liguori will be leaving the company after two years. The veteran TV executive is expected to stick around until the end of the year. (He started at Discovery in January 2010.) He will not be replaced. Liguori, who previously ran Fox and FX, is the latest top Discovery Communications executive to exit as the company’s president and CEO David Zaslav now faces three upcoming major departures in his upper ranks; Discovery Channel president Clark Bunting and Discovery Communications CFO Bradley Singer both announced earlier this year that they will leave at the beginning of 2012. Bunting’s announcement came a couple of months after he was made to report to TLC General Manager Eileen O’Neill in an executive restructuring. Despite beating earnings expectations in the just-reported third quarter, Discovery Communications continues to struggle with its joint ventures, especially OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, which sucked up another $12 million investment in 3Q. Liguori was hands-on involved in the January launch of OWN and in May he was named interim CEO of the fledgling cable network following the departure of Christina Norman. Two months later, Winfrey took over the CEO position, and Liguori’s involvement decreased to a point of him having no day-to-day role at the channel. In addition to representing Discovery Communications in its three joint ventures — OWN; The Hub, which also has had a hard time; and 3Net — Liguori’s duties as COO included oversight of Marketing, Discovery Studios, Corporate Communications and Corporate Affairs, Business Affairs, and Media Technology, Production and Operations.

UPDATE 6:15AM: Discovery just put out a release announcing Liguori’s departure:

Silver Spring, Md. – Discovery Communications today announced that Chief Operating Officer Peter Liguori has decided to depart the company at the end of the year. Liguori was responsible for launching numerous creative and brand marketing initiatives around the world, including overseeing the successful launches of Discovery’s joint ventures in The Hub, OWN, and 3net.

President and CEO David Zaslav said, “Pete’s leadership, enthusiasm and creative vision have brought a fresh and important perspective to Discovery.

Read More »

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Oprah Winfrey And Rosie O’Donnell Shows To Debut On Five Discovery Networks

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Thursday October 6, 2011 @ 6:58am PDTTags: David Zaslav, Discovery Communications, Investigation Discovery, Oprah Winfrey, Oprah Winfrey Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, Rosie O'Donnell, Rosie O'Donnell OWN Network, Rosie O'Donnell Talk Show, TLC

(Los Angeles, CA) – OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today that the premiere episodes of the new OWN series “The Rosie Show” and “Oprah’s Lifeclass” will air concurrently across five Discovery Communications networks when the series debut

… Read More »

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OWN To Launch ‘Super Soul Sunday’ Block

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday September 27, 2011 @ 11:51am PDTTags: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, Super Soul Sunday

OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network will debut a new programming block, “Super Soul Sunday,” on October 16. The three-hour block will include never-before-seen episodes of Oprah’s Soul Series, which features one-on-one conversations between Winfrey and various authors, thinkers and spiritual … Read More »

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