Steve Harvey joins Dr. Phil’s Merit Street Media as equity partner, host

Steve Harvey has signed on to join Dr. Phil McGraw’s Merit Street Media, taking an equity stake in the upstart network.

As part of the agreement, Merit bought the rights to over 300 episodes of “Steve,” a syndication daytime talk show Harvey hosted from 2017 to 2019, produced by NBCUniversal (syndicated talker “Steve Harvey” that ran from 2012 to 2017 is not part of this agreement). 

The new deal calls for Harvey to produce a documentary special about the Steve Harvey Mentoring Program. Both Harvey and McGraw are expected to appear in the project, which is set for a fall 2024 debut.

“Partnering with my good friend on such an innovative network allows me to continue my mission of empowering and inspiring individuals through entertainment,“ Harvey said in a statement. “The docustyle special highlighting the impactful work of the Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation is particularly close to my heart. I believe in the power of mentorship to transform lives and look forward to sharing this journey with viewers. The positive impact we can create together will be unlike anything seen before.”

Other programming on the new service, which is being distributed through a partnership with religious broadcaster Trinity Broadcasting Network, features Chris Harrison, the former host of “The Bachelor” and Nancy Grace heading up an afternoon true crime series. News programs include “Mornings on Merit Street” with Dominique Sachse and Fanchon Stinger and “The News on Merit Street” with Kris Gutierrez and co-hosts Lyndsay Keith and Loni Coombs.

McGraw will also return to television with original programs on “Dr. Phil Primetime.” Merit Street went live Feb. 26, 2024, with “Dr. Phil Primetime” scheduled to debut April 2, 2024.

At launch, the channel will be available as a digital subchannel on select stations across the country, along with apps for Apple iOS, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV and Roku. Content will also be available via the company’s website.

So far, Merit Street has national distribution deals with Dish and DirecTV. It’s also available on Sling via its own self-titled channel, but has yet to ink carriage deals with major providers such as Comcast Xfinity, AT&T U-verse, Charter Spectrum, Verizon Fios or streaming TV providers Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, Philo, Fubo, or DirecTV Stream.

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