For most people the idea of voluntarily ditching your most successful product would seem insane. Yet that is what exactly what Oprah Winfrey has done in bringing the curtain down on her talk show after almost 25 years.
The Oprah Winfrey Show has made its genial, emotional host a global celebrity and one of the most successful businesswomen in America. She is now a billionaire and heads Harpo Productions, which runs a radio network, film and TV studios. She even has her own magazine.
Last year Winfrey pulled in US$290 million (Dh1.06 billion). According to Forbes magazine, the larger-than-life host is now worth $2.7bn.
Her show gave her enormous influence over American cultural life and huge clout in the business world. With her legions of suburban fans - wielding billions of dollars of purchasing power - Winfrey could bestow success on celebrities, films, books or just about any other product.
Like a sort of business fairy godmother she had merely to recommend, or even just mention, a new gadget or novel and it would disappear from America's shelves overnight. Getting a project on her show spawned a mini-industry in itself, with legions of PRs and marketing executives devoting themselves solely to the task.
But now it is all over. Winfrey pulled the plug on her own show in favour of devoting her time to developing her own branded cable TV channel, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). It is, to put it mildly, a risky move.
Winfrey's old power was shown in the last few episodes of her talk show where a galaxy of stars - including Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Beyonce, Michael Jordan and Madonna - flocked to Chicago to bid her farewell on air. But whether such star power will pay homage to OWN looks a very different matter.
Cable TV in America, while popular, is still far from universal. Winfrey's brand is jostling with scores of other channels and, so far, it has not been doing especially well.
As of the middle of this month, ratings at OWN, which is half-owned by Discovery, have not been impressive.
Since its launch this year it has averaged just 112,000 viewers during peak viewing time in the key target audience of 25-54 year-old women - a demographic that is usually easy for Winfrey to access. In fact, OWN's average weekly viewership has been declining from 204,000 at launch to about 150,00 by May 15. Some industry watchers have projected OWN to lose more than $100m through next year.
Reports have emerged that ratings are also below those promised to top advertisers. Such tribulations have seen several top executives leave the channel.
None of that news is encouraging. But, given her track record and her unassailable brand name, it would be foolish to write Winfrey's new project off just yet. Part of the problem with OWN is that - despite its name - it has not yet featured much of the star herself. That could change now that Winfrey's workload no longer includes her daily show. Upping the Oprah Winfrey factor on OWN should give the channel a much-needed boost. Will it be enough?
After being born to a life of poverty in rural Mississippi and scrapping her way to success, she deserves to do whatever she wants. But the business empire she created is still desperately craving her attention and presence. The question is: does she still want to give it?
