Ovation is the latest entity to sever ties with Harvey Weinstein, as the arts-focused independent cable network began proceedings to expel the disgraced movie mogul from its board of directors.
Investors at the privately held network voted on Tuesday night to eliminate the board seat held by Weinstein and The Weinstein Company, the first in a series of required steps to remove them.
“Due to recent events, Ovation’s investors have elected to eliminate the board seat once held by Harvey Weinstein and The Weinstein Company,” Liz Janneman, executive VP of network strategy for Ovation, said in a statement provided to TheWrap. “The Weinstein Company’s stake in Ovation is very small. On rare occasions, Mr. Weinstein or a company representative attended board meetings and were supportive of Ovation’s arts and culture initiatives. By his own admission, Ovation finds Mr. Weinstein’s actions reprehensible and counter to the spirit of our company’s supportive, multicultural and artistic community. We stand firmly behind this decision and will continue business as usual.”
Representatives for Harvey Weinstein and for The Weinstein Company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to Nielsen data from March, Ovation has more than 47 million subscribers. The network airs arts-related specials and documentaries, and international dramas such as “Versailles” and “The Artful Detective” (known in Canada as “The Murdoch Mysteries”).
Variety first reported the news that Weinstein had been expelled.