Discovery to take Oprah’s two-night racism special around the world

Oprah Winfrey is to host a two-night special in response to the continuing civil unrest in America following the murder of George Floyd, with the shows set to be made available around the world via Discovery.

OWN Spotlight: Where Do We Go From Here? will air on Discovery-owned OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the US and across all of Discovery’s 18 US networks on Tuesday, 9 June and Wednesday, June 10 at 21.00ET/PT both nights.

The show will feature Winfrey as she speaks with a range of black thought leaders, activists and artists including filmmaker Ava DuVernay (When They See Us) about systematic racism and the current state of America. Featured guests include politician Stacey Abrams, journalist Charles M. Blow, Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and actor David Oyelowo (Selma).

It will also stream for free on the Watch OWN and Discovery apps, as well as OWN’s Youtube, Facebook and Instagram channels and be available on Discovery’s global platforms in more than 200 countries and territories. OWN will produce the specials.

“I’ve been having private conversations with friends and thought leaders about what’s next and where we go from here,” said Winfrey. “I thought it would be both of interest and service to bring their ideas, concerns and comments into a national spotlight.”

“As a network dedicated to supporting and uplifting black lives, OWN is committed to providing our community with important dialogue and helpful resources in this challenging time as we mourn the murder of George Floyd and ask ourselves how can we come together to create meaningful change,” said Tina Perry, President, OWN. “I am proud that our Discovery family has joined us to amplify this message in solidarity.”

“There is no one like Oprah to bring us all together at this critical moment in our history to offer insights, perspective and action,” said David Zaslav, president and CEO of Discovery. “We are honoured to partner with OWN and use our global reach to amplify this important discussion about the global issues of economic and social justice and equality to a potential audience of one billion people across more than 200 markets in a way that only Discovery can.”

Earlier this week, US media giants including ViacomCBS stopped conducting their business for a day in order to mark the death of Floyd in Minneapolis last week, while Bad Robot Productions and the Katie McGrath & JJ Abrams Family Foundation have also pledged to donate US$10m to charitable organisations “committed to anti-racist agendas”.