Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions has cast its lot with Sony Pictures Television, choosing SPT as its co-producer and distributor for “Dr. Oz” rather than CBS Paramount, which handles distribution of Winfrey’s program and her previous spinoffs showcasing Dr. Phil McGraw and Rachael Ray.
Nearly every major syndicator made their pitch to handle the program show featuring Dr. Mehmet C. Oz, set to launch in the fall of 2009. One factor working against CBS Paramount may have been that already this fall it is syndicating “The Doctors,” which is backed by McGraw, Winfrey’s former protege.
But SPT isn’t currently aligned with a station group to launch with, which was thought to be a potential liability but instead has been spun as the opportunity to seek out the best deal for “Dr. Oz” in every market regardless of station ownership.
“This is a show I believe in,” Winfrey said in the announcement, while Steve Mosko, president of Sony Pictures Television, called it “a perfect marriage of independent, entrepreneurial companies” in his statement.
Via Chicago Tribune.
