Oprah Winfrey, the queen of daytime TV, is extending her rule to Madison Avenue. OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, the talk show host's namesake cable channel, which is set to debut Jan. 1, is close to
finalizing a sizable ad deal with General Motors, sources tell the
New York Post.
The deal, if closed, would mark the third major sponsorship agreement for OWN, following notable deals with Procter & Gamble and Kohl's. The two-year deal with GM will give it exclusivity in the
automotive category for some programs, sources said. Discovery Communications and Winfrey's Harpo Productions, the network's backers, aim to have big advertisers to multiyear, multimillion dollar
deals in pocket before the channel debuts.
In April, Winfrey pitched the network during the upfront. On stage, Winfrey said she wanted to keep "inspiring people and giving them hope -- and
some cars," a reference to her marketing stunt when she gave away Pontiacs to all 276 audience members in 2004, notes Radio Business
Report. OWN will launch in 80 million US homes and take direct aim at networks like Lifetime, which has taken some ratings hits this spring, and Oxygen.
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