Oprah Winfrey Network

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN, also known as the OWN Network) is an American multinational basic cable television network which launched on January 1, 2011, effectively replacing the Discovery Health Channel, which one month later merged with FitTV to become Discovery Fit & Health (now known as Discovery Life). OWN is operated as a joint venture between Warner Bros. Discovery's networks division and Harpo Productions. Founded by television personality Oprah Winfrey, the channel primarily focuses on lifestyle programming targeting a female audience, with an initial focus on programming with themes related to life improvement, relationships, and spirituality, and a particular focus on targeting African Americans. Initially a 50/50 joint venture, Discovery acquired a larger stake in the network in 2017 and again in December 2020, when Discovery increased its ownership in OWN from 73% to 95%. Harpo remains a "significant" minority stakeholder, and Winfrey remains contracted with the channel. OWN competes with other networks aimed at African Americans such as the BET Media Group's namesake channel and the E. W. Scripps Company's Bounce TV. As of February 2015, OWN is available to approximately 81.9 million pay television households (70.3% of households with television) in the United States.