Media mogul Oprah Winfrey is at a business crossroads. Her company, Harpo Productions, and Apple TV+ have ended their multiyear content deal, which began in 2018. No word on if Winfrey will be taking her entertainment projects elsewhere.
While Winfrey and Apple TV+ will continue to work together, it will be on a project-by-project basis, The Hollywood Reporter reported. The two companies will also continue their collaboration on “Oprah’s Book Club,” which is available on Apple Books and OprahDaily.com.
Inside the Apple TV+ Deal
The nonexclusive deal had included film, TV, applications, books, and other content that was distributed on Apple’s platform. Throughout the deal, Winfrey continued as chief of Discovery Communications-backed cable network OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network).
Winfrey’s explosive interview with former actress Meghan Markle and Prince Harry “Oprah with Meghan and Harry,” which she produced via Harpo appeared on CBS. But under her deal with Apple, she produced the documentary series “The Me You Can’t See,” a partnership with Prince Harry focusing on mental health. Winfrey’s “The Oprah Conversation,” a series of chats with newsmakers, also appeared on Apple. And Apple TV just premiered “Sidney,” the Winfrey-exec produced documentary about acting legend Sidney Poitier, on Sept. 23.
Insider Winfrey’s Wealth
Winfrey is worth $2.6 billion as of mid-2022, Investopedia reported.
Her success has been self-made, having started her career as a journalist at the age 19 when she was hired by WLAC-TV (now WTVF), a CBS television station in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1976, she moved to WJZ-TV, the ABC affiliate in Baltimore, Maryland, before jumping to a new morning talk show called “People Are Talking” in 1977. The show was a ratings hit. Winfrey also appeared on a radio shoe,
Then came the debut of her iconic “Oprah Winfrey Show,” which ran on television for 25 seasons from 1986 to 2011. Winfrey, then 32, became the first African-American nationally syndicated television host.
During the course of her rise, Winfrey co-founded Oxygen Media, a programming company geared to women, in 1998. Oxygen Media was acquired by NBCUniversal for $925M on Oct 9, 2007.
In 1986, Winfrey founded and is chair and CEO of a multimedia production company, Harpo Productions. She also founded O, The Oprah Magazine. In 2015, Oprah purchased a 10% equity stake in Weight Watchers International (WTW).
