Oprah and HBO Join Forces

On Tuesday, Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films made a multiyear, exclusive pact with HBO to develop and produce scripted series, miniseries, documentaries and movies for the pay cabler.

According to Variety.com, "Deal comes at the end of Harpo's exclusive output pact with ABC, an arrangement that produced telepics including last year's 'Oprah Winfrey Presents: Mitch Albom's For One More Day.'"

No project details were released. Kate Forte, president of Harpo Films, said HBO offered a unique blend of format and creativity on television, "and the quality and range of their subjects are extraordinary."

It took two meetings for the deal to become official. The first took place at CAA, which reps Harpo, and the other happened at Winfrey's estate in Montecito, Calif.

ABC had approached Winfrey and Forte about extending their deal, but Harpo chose to go to HBO.

"ABC was always incredibly supportive of us. It is much more about the opportunity HBO offers us," Forte said. "There are natural limitations to network TV, including being driven by ratings and commercial sponsorship."

According to HollywoodReporter.com, "The pact starts Jan. 1, after the expiration of Harpo's current first-look longform pact with ABC."

It seems this isn't the only new venture that Harpo Inc., is undertaking. Harpo, Inc. is also ready to kick off OWN, a new basic cable network that will air unscripted programming co-produced with Discovery Communications.