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Oprah Winfrey’s media empire might drastically change in two years.
“The Oprah Winfrey Show” could be moving off network to cable on 2011, according to a report by Deadline Hollywood, a breaking-entertainment-news Web site.
A representative for Harpo Productions says, “She has not made a decision yet. As she has previously stated, she’ll make an announcement before the end of the year.”
Deadline Hollywood claims that the Oprah Winfrey Network, owned by Discovery Communications, was supposed to launch as a joint venture between Winfrey and Discovery, but was delayed. Now, Discovery is giving her an ultimatum: Move the show off syndication and on to OWN or lose the network altogether.
The supposed move could happen as early as 2011, and Winfrey is reportedly meeting with programming executives to get the ball rolling on the move.
OWN will replace Discovery Health, seen in 70 million homes.
Leslie Moonves, CEO of CBS Television Distribution, which syndicates “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” said the company is in talks with Winfrey; her contract expires in 2011.
“She’s a legend and one of the great assets that we have,” Moonves said. “We fully hope she is coming back.”
He said any financial losses if she doesn’t return wouldn’t hit CBS until 2012, according to Deadline Hollywood.
