Oprah’s OWN flawless HiDef launch Jan. 1

Oprah Winfrey’s new network OWN launched without a hitch on Saturday, Jan. 1, to 85 million subscribers, with Winfrey, OWN CEO Christina Norman, and many of Winfrey’s homegrown stars, including Dr. Phil and Suze Orman on hand for the New Year’s morning launch event at OWN headquarters in Los Angeles.

<Story continues after the following 2 1/2-min video highlights of the launch party with Oprah Winfrey.>

The network distributed by partner Discovery Communications replaces Discovery Health and is simulcast in HiDef. An eleventh-hour agreement with Cablevision Systems last week added 3 million homes in New York to the new network’s reach. Cablevision says it will offer the channel in both HiDef and SD, one of the few carriers to do so.

Satellite services DirecTV and DISH Network also made the switch from Discovery Health to OWN on Saturday (Channel 279 on DirecTV; 189 on DISH). Both initially told HollywoodInHiDef.com that they have no immediate plans to add OWN to their package of HiDef networks, but a spokeswoman for DISH has since said the service is hoping to carry the HiDef version of OWN very soon.

Discovery top execs David Zaslav and Peter Liguori, as well as former longtime Viacom cable nets exec Tom Freston, who has been a consultant to Winfrey on the launch of OWN, were also in attendance at the launch event, as was Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, who will be the subject of a series profile later this year.

“It’s important to note that Discovery and Oprah have made a substantial investment to ensure the success of this new channel, and we are thrilled to bring programs that are meaningful, worthwhile and of substance to our subscribers and to Oprah’s loyal fan base,” DISH Network senior vice president of Programming Dave Shull said in a statement.

Among the shows telecast in the first hours of launch:

• “Oprah Presents Master Class,” featuring profiles of successful high-profile celebrities with inspirational stories, hosted by Winfrey. First up was Jay-Z; next is Diane Sawyer, with upcoming subjects including Simon Cowell, Sidney Poitier, Dr. Maya Angelou, Diane Sawyer, Lorne Michaels, and Dr. Condoleezza Rice.
• “Season 25: Oprah Behind The Scenes,” a weekly one-hour program that takes viewers backstage during production of Winfrey’s final season of her syndicated “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” This should easily be the first hit for the network.
• Reality shows about adopted kids finding their birth parents; children “kidnapping” parents who are too consumed with their jobs; a scientist and religious scholar investigating reported miracles; and couples who are having challenges with their sex lives.

Other programs debuting this week include:

• “Ask Oprah’s All Stars,” featuring Dr. Phil, Suze Orman and Dr. Mehmet Oz answering viewer questions about health, wealth and mental well-being.
• “Your OWN Show: Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star,” pitting 10 contestants against each other though a series of challenges to win the ultimate prize of their own TV show on OWN.
• “Cristina Ferrare’s Big Bowl of Love,” a daily cooking show.

Next week Gayle King’s telecast of her daily radio show premieres.

Rounding out the schedule are reruns of Winfrey spin-offs such as “Dr. Phil” and from the Discovery Networks, such as “The Best of Trading Spaces,” as well as a mix of movies ranging from Winfrey’s “Precious” to fare including “An Officer and a Gentleman” to “The Bridges of Madison County.”

— By Scott Hettrick