Oprah Winfrey’s new cable-television network will face a stiff challenge when it launches Saturday: meeting high expectations.
After nearly three years of planning and delays, and startup costs in excess of $107 million, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network is set to air at noon Saturday, replacing cable channel Discovery Health, which is available in about 80 million homes. The network said it expects by the end of its first year on the air to double its predecessor’s target audience in prime time.
OWN — a 50-50 venture between Winfrey and Discovery Communications Inc. — is pumping out at least 22 original series next year to hit that goal. The programs range from prime-time talk specials, such as “Ask Oprah’s All Stars,” which first airs Sunday, to series following celebrities, including mother-daughter country duo Naomi and Wynonna Judd.
In May, Winfrey will tape the last new episode of her 25-year-old talk show.
