OPRAH’S CABLE NETWORK MAKES GAINS IN FIRST QUARTER

Just when some analysts were shaking their heads over the dismal ratings for Oprah Winfrey’s cable network OWN, with some predicting that it could go down and cost Discovery Networks dearly — as much as $145 million — the network on Wednesday released a statement boasting of huge audience increases in the first quarter. In […]

ANALYST SAYS FAILURE OF OWN COULD COST DISCOVERY $143 MILLION

Unless it can engineer a massive turnaround of Oprah Winfrey’s OWN cable network, Discovery Communications could end the year reporting a $142.9-million loss, according to SNL Kagan analyst Derek Baine. Clearly Baine believes such a turnaround is unlikely and that Discovery will likely be forced to cut the license fee it charges cable operators to […]

OPRAH’S NETWORK SUFFERING BIRTH PANGS

While Oprah Winfrey has enjoyed a remarkable run of successes, some cable operators are not convinced that her new cable network OWN, set to debut on Jan.1, is a sure thing and are balking at the carriage fees being asked for it, according to Bloomberg News. The channel is being sold to the cable companies […]

BBC SELLS ITS STAKE IN CHANNELS OWNED WITH DISCOVERY

In what the London Financial Times has described as a “windfall,” the BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, has sold the 50 percent stake that it owns in the international cable networks Animal Planet and LIV to its partner, Discovery Communications for $156 million. It reportedly plans to reinvest the money into its self-branded BBC America […]