The actress will host the first new series, Shine On With Reese, debuting July 17.
Reese Witherspoon is expanding her TV empire to include a new video on demand (VOD) channel for AT&T’s DirecTV, DirectTV Now and U-Verse. The channel will feature two new shows.
AT&T and Witherspoon’s media and production company, Hello Sunshine, will kick off the channel July 17 with the premiere of Shine On With Reese, Witherspoon’s first unscripted series. The show will feature her conversations with women who have trail-blazed their own paths in their respective industries, such as Dolly Parton, Kacey Musgraves and Abby Wambach.
On Sept. 4, the channel will debut Master the Mess, a series about decluttering your home featuring Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin from The Home Edit, an organization company based in Nashville.
“I am thrilled to have such like-minded, creative collaborators at AT&T to help Hello Sunshine pursue our mission of elevating and showcasing the voices of women that we have such admiration and respect for,” Witherspoon said in a statement.
AT&T hopes its Witherspoon partnership will drive subscriptions for DirecTV Now. Packages start at $35 per month (which will soon increase to $40 per month), but new subscribers can sign up for a discounted $10 per month for the first three months.
“Providing an empowering platform for diverse voices is a priority for us,” said Valerie Vargas, AT&T’s svp of advertising and creative services, AT&T, in a statement. “Our work with Hello Sunshine gives stories about women the spotlight they deserve, which inspires our viewers and drives authentic conversation.”
Hello Sunshine and AT&T will also put on an eight-day lab for 20 female storytellers this summer in Los Angeles to generate content for the VOD channel.
Hello Sunshine launched in late 2016 under a partnership with The Chernin Group and AT&T’s Otter Media portfolio. The company’s packed slate includes Big Little Lies (HBO will air Season 2 next year), several series for Apple (including one that will star Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston) and a Hulu limited series starring Witherspoon and Kerry Washington based on Celeste Ng’s book, Little Fires Everywhere.
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Sara Jerde
@SaraJerde
Sara Jerde is a digital media reporter at Adweek.
