Kim Kardashian Saves Oprah Winfrey? OWN Finally Looking Up Following 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' Interviews
Kim Kardashian and her reality TV family are being credited by some sources for saving Oprah's "Oprah Winfrey Network," following news that OWN is on track to become profitable in the second half of 2013.
The good news for OWN has come following a torrid few months where Oprah had indicated that her network was struggling.
"I am in the climb of my life," Winfrey told a crowd of media executives in New York in April. "I am climbing Kilimanjaro, and it's all on Wilshire Boulevard at the OWN offices."
OWN launched with high expectations on January 2011, but it was quickly realized that its ratings were much lower than expected and needed. Ratings peaked for OWN when the channel broadcast a behind the scenes feature of the final season of Oprah's popular landmark talk show. However, after that feature ratings took a hard hit and have been struggling since then.
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But things may be on the up. On Tuesday it was reported that in an earnings call with analysts, David Zaslav, CEO of Discovery Communications, gave the positive outlook projections. Zaslav claimed that ratings for OWN were up 25 percent on the same time last year, and was attracting 14 percent more viewers for its core demographic of women aged 25-54.
Recently Oprah has taken part in more high profile celebrity interviews on the channel, which have attracted a flurry of viewers.
Many are pointing to the magical effect of the Kardashians as a big part of the OWN turnaround. Oprah's June interview with the Kardashian and Jenner clan proved to be OWN's third highest ever ratings program ever.
During those interviews Kim Kardashian, her sisters, as well as family head Kris Jenner gave very open accounts of their lives. The Kardashians and Jenners feature in one of the most popular TV shows on right now, and having them feature on OWN with figurehead Oprah conducting the in depth interviews drew a large portion of the viewers from the "Keeping Up With the Kardashian" show.
