Broadcasting & Cable
Sony’s “Dr. Oz,” produced by Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions, has emerged as first-run syndication’s first out-of-the-box hit since Rachael Ray launched in 2006.
The show premiered with a 2.3 live-plus-same-day national household average, tying Rachael Ray’s launch and doing it with clearances on weaker stations in the largest markets. In its second week, Oz improved that number, moving up to a 2.4 and taking over third place among talk shows, behind CBS Television Distribution’s Oprah at a 5.2 and CTD’s “Dr. Phil” at a 2.8, which, like “Rachael Ray”, was developed out of Oprah.
“Dr. [Mehmet] Oz is a man of the people,” says John Weiser, Sony’s president of distribution. “Viewers feel connected to him, and they really engage with the information he delivers.”
Thus far, Oz has strong ratings stories to tell on several fronts. More…