Oprah Winfrey, Apple TV+ Ending Multiyear Content Deal
Sources said Winfrey and Apple TV+ will continue to work together but on a project-by-project basis.
by Kimberly NordykeSeptember 25, 2022
Oprah Winfrey and Apple TV+ are ending their multiyear content deal, which was announced in 2018, sources confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
Sources said Winfrey and Apple TV+ will continue to work together but on a project-by-project basis.
The news comes a couple days after the debut of the documentary Sidney, a collaboration between Winfrey and Apple TV+ focusing on the life of Sidney Poitier. Reginald Hudlin directed the doc, which debuted Friday on the streaming service.
Additionally, the pair will continue their collaboration on Oprah’s Book Club, which is available on Apple Books as well as OprahDaily.com.
However, two of Winfrey’s most recent high-profile programs — her exclusive interviews with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and with Adele — aired on CBS.
When the deal was signed in 2018, sources told THR that the pact encompassed film, TV, applications, books and other content that could easily be distributed on Apple’s all-encompassing platform. The deal also was nonexclusive, allowing Winfrey to continue as chief of Discovery Communications-backed cable network OWN.
Winfrey was said to have landed at Apple in a competitive situation, with other tech giants, likely including Netflix and Amazon, also pursuing a deal with her.
Sources told THR that Apple aggressively pursued Winfrey as part of a larger push to reach a broad audience. At the time, Apple was looking to make it clear to Hollywood that they were serious about their efforts in the content business and looking for marquee talent to partner with.
Apple has since won two consecutive best comedy series Emmys (for Ted Lasso) and has more than solidified its intentions with the industry.
As for Winfrey’s deal with Apple, it also has yielded the documentary series The Me You Can’t See, a partnership with Prince Harry focusing on mental health, as well as The Oprah Conversation, a series of discussions with newsmakers.
Puck News was the first to report that Winfrey and Apple TV+ were ending their deal.
