DISCA Discovery Inc

By Joe Flint 

Discovery Communications Inc. is taking majority control of OWN, the cable network it co-owns with Oprah Winfrey.

Under the terms of the deal, Discovery said it has purchased 24.5% of OWN for $70 million from Ms. Winfrey's company Harpo Inc. Ms. Winfrey's Harpo will still hold a 25.5% stake in OWN, which had previously been a 50/50 joint venture, and Ms. Winfrey will continue as chief executive of the network.

As part of the sale, Ms. Winfrey extended her contractual relationship with the network through 2025. This is the first time Ms. Winfrey has taken any money out of OWN.

OWN launched in 2011 and initially struggled to establish itself with viewers. In recent years, however, its ratings have improved thanks to original dramas including "Queen Sugar" and "Greenleaf."

By taking majority ownership in OWN, Discovery will now be able to include its results on its balance sheet. "This transaction allows Discovery and Oprah to unlock more value from our partnership," Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav said in a statement.

Discovery is also in the process of closing its $14.5 billion acquisition of Scripps Networks, parent company of several popular cable networks including HGTV and majority control of the Food Network.

Write to Joe Flint at joe.flint@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 04, 2017 14:16 ET (19:16 GMT)

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