Oprah Winfrey's OWN Continues Ratings Struggle
Oprah Winfrey Network
Oprah Winfrey's six-month-old network OWN was down 24 percent in adult viewership in May, compared to the May 2010 ratings of Discovery Health, which OWN replaced, according to TVbytheNumbers.
Photo gallery: The constellation of Oprah
Its numbers were down in demographics versus Discovery Health's May '10 ratings across the board. In women 18-34, the drop was 24 percent. For women 18-49, it was 19 percent. In women 24-54, likely its target demo, it was down 17 percent. And in adults 18-49, it was down a whopping 30 percent.
Oprah replaces OWN CEO
Almost from the time of its January 1 debut, OWN has struggled to even match the Discovery Health numbers. Winfrey herself has acknowledged the low ratings, describing the network as "not where I want it to be" in an interview with Entertainment Weekly last month. However, she also acknowledged the time needed to foster a network, citing advice she received from her friend and Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels: "Don't judge OWN until after three years."
Perhaps she has something up her sleeve. Should that fail, there's always The Secret.