Confusing Oprah news!
As we’ve previously mentioned, Oprah Winfrey partnered with the people at the Discovery Networks and is set to launch her very own cable network in 2009.
On Friday, the CEO of the Discovery networks said that Super O’s ditching out on her syndication deals when they expire in 2011. That would mean no late afternoon Oprah on your local TV station!!
“The expectation is that after that, her show will go off of ABC in syndication and she will come to OWN,” Discovery CEO David Zaslav said on the company├óΓé¼Γäós first earnings call as a public company. ├óΓé¼┼ôWe├óΓé¼Γäóre talking now about what the presence will be and what kind of programming she would be involved in directly. But this is her Chapter 2, and building the OWN brand online and on air is . . . A core mission for her.├óΓé¼┬¥
But, Oprah’s people immediately shot back and clarified where O stands at the moment.
“While David Zaslav’s comments are true that Oprah’s current contract to produce ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ will expire in 2011, she has not made a final decision as to whether she will continue her show in syndication beyond that.”
We wonder which way O will go.
If you don’t have cable yet and you’re an Oprah fanatic, you may want to get it by 2011, just in case!
[Image via WENN.]