NEW YORK — Oprah Winfrey, who has publicly struggled with her weight for decades, is going on a diet again. But this time she stands to gain a lot of money from her efforts.
Weight Watchers said Monday that it signed a five-year deal with the former talk show host. Winfrey, a co-owner of OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, is paying about $43.2 million for a 10 percent stake in the weight loss company.
The deal is already paying off: Weight Watchers shares more than doubled to $13.92 after the partnership was announced, earning Winfrey about $45 million on paper.
Winfrey will use the Weight Watchers mobile app and work with a personal coach, the company said. She has also agreed to let Weight Watchers use her name, image and likeness for its products and services. Additionally, she will make appearances on the company’s behalf.
Weight Watchers is no stranger to celebrities. It has paid singers Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Hudson to promote its plan. But the deal with Winfrey is a shift to focus on overall health and wellness, rather than just dropping pounds.
The company has been hurt by the popularity of fitness trackers and other health apps. MyFitnessPal lets users track steps, workouts and the amount of calories they eat for free on its app. Buying a FitBit tracker unlocks similar free online tools.
Weight Watchers charges for its online food tracking, and weekly meetings and weigh-ins have been a hallmark of its plan. Its shares were down 73 percent for the year through Friday. The company’s earnings have fallen every year since 2011. To boost its earnings, the company announced $100 million in cost cuts earlier this year.
Weight Watchers is hoping to tap into Winfrey’s ability to turn ordinary products into the latest trend. But it might be harder to get her message across now. “She has less contact with people on a daily basis,” said Craig Garthwaite, an assistant professor of strategy at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
Besides the OWN network, Winfrey reaches fans through O, The Oprah Magazine and . She also has a strong social media following with more than 29 million followers on Twitter, 11 million on Facebook and 4 million on Instagram.
