Oprah Winfrey and Apple TV+ are ending their multi-year content deal, which was announced in 2018, sources have confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
Sources said Winfrey and Apple TV+ will continue to work together, but on a project-by-project basis.
The news comes a few days after the launch of the documentary sydney, a collaboration between Winfrey and Apple TV+ centered on the life of Sidney Poitier. Reginald Hudlin directed the doc, which debuted Friday on the streaming service.
In addition, the duo will continue their collaboration on Oprah Book Club, which is available on Apple Books as well as OprahDaily.com.
However, two of Winfrey’s most recent programs – her exclusive interviews with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and with Adele – have aired on CBS.
When the deal was signed in 2018, sources said THR that the pact encompassed movies, TV, apps, books, and other content that could easily be distributed on Apple’s global platform. The deal was also non-exclusive, allowing Winfrey to continue as head of the Discovery Communications-backed cable network OWN.
Winfrey would have landed at Apple in a competitive situation, with other tech giants, likely including Netflix and Amazon, also pursuing a deal with Winfrey.
Sources said THR that Apple aggressively sued Winfrey as part of a larger campaign to reach a large audience. At the time, Apple was trying to impress upon Hollywood that they were serious about their content endeavors and were looking for big-name talent to partner with.
Apple has since won back-to-back Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series (for Ted Lasso) and has more than cemented its intentions with the industry.
As for Winfrey’s deal with Apple, he also produced the documentary series The me you can’t see a partnership with Prince Harry focused on mental health, as well as Oprah’s Conversation, a series of discussions with journalists.
Puck News was first to report that Winfrey and Apple TV+ were ending their deal.