Oprah buys back her Apple TV+ documentary to lock it away

A documentary on Oprah Winfrey is not coming to Apple TV+. Why, you may ask? Effectively, Winfrey, herself, purchased again the rights to it, PageSix stories. Allegedly, Winfrey and filmmaker Kevin Macdonald clashed on the ultimate product, with the latter not making requested edits.

A spokesperson for Winfrey put issues a bit nicer: “Because the Apple TV+ deal was coming to an finish, Ms. Winfrey purchased again the rights to her docu-series and has since determined to place the doc on maintain. Ms. Winfrey believes Lisa Erspamer and Kevin MacDonald are extremely proficient filmmakers and is grateful for the time and vitality they put into the venture.” Erspamer beforehand labored with Winfrey for a very long time at OWN however was let go in 2012.

Winfrey was initially very concerned in Apple TV+, even talking at its launch. She signed a multi-year cope with the platform, launching reveals reminiscent of The Oprah Dialog, however the settlement led to 2022. It is unclear how a lot Winfrey, a billionaire, needed to spend to get the rights again, with some sources saying it was within the thousands and thousands and others claiming simply six figures.