Ophrah Winfrey

Oprah expands her media empire by launching the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) in early 2010 through an agreement with Discovery Communications. OWN replaces the existing Discovery Health channel and will provide a new breadth of Oprah-selected programming.

Discovery Health currently reaches over 76 million homes and with the added power brought by the Oprah brand, it's likely to grow significantly after the OWN makeover. The new network will feature programming to encourage and inform people on living their best life. Programming focuses on real people and real-life situations, ushering in a new reality TV form that is kinder and more inspirational.

Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) to Debut 2010
Oprah Winfrey's talk show Oprah is known for featuring guest experts like Dr. Oz and Dr. Laura Berman. Winfrey possesses an uncanny ability to identify talent and give it the powerful visibility that only Oprah can. In defining the OWN programming, Oprah will look to former guests and experts alike.

Winfrey's talent selection is bankable and in a recent USA Today article Discovery Communications CEO David Zazlav commented, "Look at some of the (television) talent she has developed: Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Rachael Ray— all these people."

In an April press release, Oprah noted, "One of the things I love about my work is getting to meet extraordinary people who have done amazing things in life. So, for OWN, I will be hand-picking some of the most engaging and intriguing people of our time and giving them a stage all their own to share their stories and best life lessons with all of us."