Harpo, Sony to Launch Dr. Oz Series

CHICAGO/CULVER CITY, June
16: Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions and Sony Pictures Television (SPT) will
debut a new series centered on Dr. Mehmet C. Oz, the bestselling author,
educator and surgeon who is a regular on The Oprah Winfrey Show, in first-run syndication next year.

Tentatively titled DR.
OZ, the series will launch across
North America in fall 2009. Under the multiyear agreement, SPT will handle the show’s
distribution for the U.S. and Canada, advertisers sales and marketing, along
with co-producing the series with Harpo Productions.

Dr. Oz has earned a
reputation as “America’s Doctor” through regular appearances on The Oprah
Winfrey Show over the past three
years. He is also the host of The Dr. Oz Show on XM Satellite Radio’s Oprah & Friends
channel, and was recently named on Time magazine’s annual list of “The World’s Most Influential People.”

"We are looking
forward to partnering with Sony Pictures Television on this project," said
Tim Bennett, the president of Harpo Productions. "Of all the first-rate
potential partners we spoke with, we felt that Sony was the best positioned to
co-produce and distribute the Dr. Oz show."

"We are thrilled to
be working with Oprah, Dr. Oz and everyone at Harpo on this amazing
project," commented Steve Mosko, the president of Sony Pictures
Television. "It's a perfect marriage of independent, entrepreneurial
companies and a wonderful opportunity for us to work with such tremendously
talented people."

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski