In 2009, Oprah Winfrey revealed she was launching her own television network, which was set to fully launch, by 2011. The early years of the network, called OWN, for “Oprah Winfrey Network,” were tough. In spite of her talk show success, Oprah struggled with her network.
When Oprah began doing interviews, her bread and butter, the network’s profile raised. She had huge interviews with hip hop moguls, such as Jay-Z and Russell Simmons, to raise the network’s profile. In 2012, they launched their partnership with Tyler Perry.
Last year, the OWN Network lost Tyler Perry to Viacom, despite him still having shows on the network. Since then, Iyanla Vanzant announced she is leaving “Fix My Life,” calling the show “too toxic.” Now, it seems as if Oprah is also jumping ship, selling her controlling interest in the channel back to Discovery Networks for $36 million.
Sources: @bllaklabel ; Dallas Black
