Oprah Winfrey's OWN toasts strong ratings in New Year's launch
OWN, the new cable network from Oprah Winfrey, got off to an impressive start over the weekend.
For its Saturday premiere, OWN was the No. 3 cable network among women age 25 to 54 during the 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. hours, behind only ESPN and USA.
At 8 p.m., the first episode of "Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes" -- featuring outtakes from Winfrey's swan song as a daytime syndicated TV host -- delivered 1.2 million total viewers, according to early figures from the Nielsen Co. Another episode at 9 p.m. also delivered 1.2 million viewers. That's an especially robust figure, given that Saturday viewing levels are seldom high and that it was New Year's Day.
However, the following night, OWN faced tougher sledding. The premiere of "Ask Oprah's All Stars" -- in which Winfrey favorites Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil and Suze Orman answered viewer questions -- delivered 968,000 total viewers. "Master Class," a celebrity bio program at 10 p.m., premiered to even flatter numbers: 602,000 total.
At least one media analyst took a guarded view of the early ratings. "There was certainly a curiosity factor, 'buzz' and heavy promotions from Oprah herself to explain these strong numbers," said Brad Adgate, an analyst for Horizon Media in New York. "Conan [O'Brien] also had a strong number for his premiere in November [on TBS] and quickly dropped; I would suspect the same with OWN going forward."
But he added of the New Year's ratings: "They effectively counter-programmed college football for day 1."
OWN, which took over the channel position formerly occupied by Discovery Health, is currently available in 67% of U.S. homes.
-- Scott Collins
Twitter / @scottcollinsLAT
Photo: Oprah Winfrey. Credit: Evan Agostini / Associated Press
I am not a big fan of this channel for one reason. My wife and I LOVED Discovery Health. A lot of the shows are gone, or changed channel. We enjoyed flipping it on and enjoying the interesting health shows. I know we were in the minority, but we already miss that. We have no plans to watch OWN.
Posted by: SoulPatch | January 03, 2011 at 02:07 PM
SoulPatch...I am with you. We also watched Discovery Health and loved it. I have no idea why Oprah would do such a nasty thing to her viewers...but I for one will NEVER watch her network. She should have simply retired as most people believed she would....even the network name is part of her me-me-me nature...OWN???
Posted by: anna | January 03, 2011 at 02:33 PM
Soulpatch & Anna
Do you go on a message board and declare that you have no plans to watch the ANIMAL CHANNEL or CSPAN? Of course not, because that would sound so silly, right, so why the need to proclaim to the world that you will not watch OWN?
Oprah has been a ratings QUEEN for 25 years and I'm guessing that 2 less viewers won't alter that fact.
Posted by: Tom | January 03, 2011 at 03:22 PM
Is there some Bookie out there taking bets r/t whether the OWN network will flop, have I missed something?
What's with all these Analyses? As I said, just as with Cspan, you either tune in or you don't, simple as that.
Posted by: Tom | January 03, 2011 at 03:31 PM
"OWN, which took over the channel position formerly occupied by Discovery Health, is currently available in 67% of U.S. homes." From the above article.
So 67% of American households pay for cable coverage that includes this new network. Wonder what that tier sets them back and how can they afford it in the face of this economy?
Other articles I've read today report that many of Oprah's faithful viewers attempting to respond to her exhortations to follow her to OWN, found it is not in their 'tier' and have to fork over many more dollars per month to have it.
She goes from broadcast to pay to see, a sad comment on her, looks more and more like it's really "me, me, me" with her.
Posted by: Fiamma | January 03, 2011 at 03:45 PM
Are Oprah and Taylor Swift related? Something about her picture there looks slightly similar to a picture of Swift.
Never going to watch OWN. Oprah is a spoiled you know what who let fame go to her head.
Posted by: Gib | January 03, 2011 at 04:15 PM
Go Oprah! Looking forward to watching your channel in the years ahead!
Posted by: dan | January 03, 2011 at 05:27 PM
Actually, it makes perfectly good sense for a media professional to own their own network. Just like it would make sense for a dentist to step out and open their own practice or a chef to open their own bistro. It's evolution!
Posted by: Ayo | January 03, 2011 at 11:18 PM
I am sorry but this lady's politics even show through on this venue. I for one have blocked it so that even by mistake it can't be seen in my household.
SA
Posted by: Steve | January 04, 2011 at 07:58 AM
"I trust the intelligent of the American people." Do you Oprah?? After 2008 I don't. The American people were manipulated by people like you and the corrupt MSM and the results gave us a man that still after 2 years in the job doesn't have a clue what he is doing.
But, but, but he went to Harvard............
Posted by: Truth | January 04, 2011 at 12:39 PM