"Oprah" heads to the Hallmark Channel in Asia

Media News

New Delhi, 23 May

Hallmark Channel is set to become the new home for The Oprah Winfrey Show in Asia.

Channel owners Sparrowhawk Media have signed a significant deal securing exclusive pan regional cable and satellite rights to the show, which is a worldwide hit and the undisputed leader of daytime talk show television.

The multi-Emmy©-award winning programme will launch on the Hallmark Channel in Asia in June.

The agreement with CBS Paramount International, the international distributor of the award winning show, gives the Hallmark Channel access to The Oprah Winfrey Show as of June 1, 2007. The Oprah Winfrey Show will screen on weekdays Monday to Friday and Sunday evenings, commencing June 3, 2007.

Hallmark Channel Managing Director (Asia Pacific) Andrew Hanna said: “This is a truly fantastic deal – Oprah is, without question, one of the most influential names in television and we’re delighted to have secured these rights.”

“Our commitment to providing viewers with unrivalled quality drama programming is further strengthened by this acquisition. Nothing touches the heart more than the everyday life-changing experiences faced by real people and nobody brings these stories more passionately to life than Oprah.”

The Oprah Winfrey Show is the highest rated talk show in history. Her rare prime-time interview with Michael Jackson in 1993 became the fourth most watched event in American television history. Her most famous recent shows include the first episode of the nineteenth season of The Oprah Winfrey Show during which each member of the audience received a new car. Winfrey recently made a deal to extend her show until the 2010 – 2011 season, by which time it will have been on the air for twenty-five years.

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