CLOSE USA TODAY's Shannon Rae Green and Nathan Bomey talk about Oprah Winfrey's purchase of 10% of Weight Watchers. USA TODAY 
 
 Oprah Winfrey's cable network has scrapped a reality show about the father of 34 children by 17 women. (Photo: Todd Williamson, WireImage) 
 
 Oprah Winfrey has helped to significantly fatten up Weight Watchers International's market value. 
 
 The diet company's stock -- which had been slumping for the last few years -- soared after the firm announced on Monday that Winfrey would take a 10% stake. The billionaire media mogul, who will also receive options to acquire an additional 5% stake, is joining the Weight Watchers board as well. 
 
 Weight Watchers (WTW) concurrently announced an expansion of its brand beyond a pure focus on weight loss to a general emphasis on healthier, happier living. 
 
 Investors sent the stock up 105% to close at $13.92 on Monday. The company's stock had lost nearly 73% of its value in 2015, prior to the news of Winfrey's investment being publicized. 
 
 I believe in the @weightwatchers program so much I decided to invest, join the Board, and partner in #wwfamily evolution. — Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) October 19, 2015 
 
 "Weight Watchers has given me the tools to begin to make the lasting shift that I and so many of us who are struggling with weight have longed for," Winfrey said in a statement. "I believe in the program so much I decided to invest in the company and partner in its evolution." 
 
 Winfrey bought her shares at $6.79 apiece for a total investment of $43.2 million, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. 
 
 Analysts expect Winfrey to use the considerable influence of her brand and media presence — including her well-known knack for promoting health-related initiatives — to drive interest in Weight Watchers meetings and products. 
 
 The TV host, actor, producer and publisher "will not just bring attention to the stock, but will accelerate sales and profit recoveries" as Weight Watchers benefits from "free publicity and media savvy," S&P Capital IQ analyst Efraim Levy said in a research note. 
 
 In addition to her role as a board member, Winfrey, who has long shown an interest in health issues and dieting programs, will serve as an adviser to the company. 
 
 "Through our conversations, it became clear that there is tremendous alignment between Oprah's intention and our mission," Weight Watchers CEO Jim Chambers said in a statement. "We believe that her remarkable ability to connect and inspire people to realize their full potential is uniquely complementary to our powerful community, extraordinary coaches and proven approach." 
 
 CLOSE Jefferson Graham looks at how Weight Watchers is competing with calorie counting apps like MyFitnessPal and LoseIt to attract digital audiences, on #TalkingTech. By Jefferson Graham 
 
 A spokesperson said Chambers was not available for an interview. 
 
 Nicole Nichols, a spokeswoman for the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), said in an email: "There are no current plans to promote through OWN or O Magazine, but that could change down the road." 
 
 Weight Watchers has struggled to keep up as dieting tools have increasingly gone high tech. Its total revenue fell 19% from $1.84 billion in 2011 to $1.48 billion in 2014. That included declines in meeting revenue, product sales and licensing fees. 
 
 About 800,000 members attended Weight Watchers meetings in 2014, down 38% from 1.3 million members in 2011. The number of Weight Watchers meetings has fallen about 20% from 45,000 to 36,000 during that period. 
 
 Those meeting declines come as an increasing number of dieters count calories with smartphone apps and monitor their physical activity with high-tech devices. The company, which offers digital tools for users, has also invested in new services such as one-on-one health advice delivered advice through email, text-messaging and phone calls. In addition, it created personalized online accounts that sync with activity-tracking devices such as FitBit. 
 
 About 1.5 million people subscribe to the company's online products. 
 
 As for Winfrey's deal, it includes the option to buy an additional 5% of the company for $6.97 per share. She can't sell any Weight Watchers stock for the first two years, according to deal terms filed with the SEC. She can sell up to 15% in the third year of her investment, up to 30% in the fourth year and up to 60% in the fifth year. 
 
 In five years she would have the right to sell all of her shares. 
 
 Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey. 
 
 CLOSE Oct. 19 -- Bloomberg's Julie Hyman updates the latest markets news. She reports on "Bloomberg Markets." Bloomberg 
 
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 NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Oprah Winfrey and Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) have joined together in a groundbreaking partnership to inspire people around the world to lead a healthier and more fulfilling life. Winfrey was compelled by the proven Weight Watchers program combined with new initiatives to broaden the company's mission to prioritize overall health and wellness. As a part of this long-term partnership, Winfrey is making a substantial equity investment in the company and is joining the Board of Directors, bringing her insight to future products and programs. 
 
 "Weight Watchers has given me the tools to begin to make the lasting shift that I and so many of us who are struggling with weight have longed for," said Oprah Winfrey. "I believe in the program so much I decided to invest in the company and partner in its evolution." 
 
 "We are expanding our purpose from focusing on weight loss alone to more broadly helping people lead a healthier, happier life," said Jim Chambers, President and CEO, Weight Watchers International, Inc. "Through our conversations, it became clear that there is tremendous alignment between Oprah's intention and our mission. We believe that her remarkable ability to connect and inspire people to realize their full potential is uniquely complementary to our powerful community, extraordinary coaches and proven approach." 
 
 Winfrey's roles at Weight Watchers will include: 
 
 Member – Winfrey has joined the program and will candidly share her experiences and perspective along the way. 
 
 – Winfrey has joined the program and will candidly share her experiences and perspective along the way. Board Member and Adviser – Winfrey will bring insight and strategy to program development and execution that reflects not only her own experiences as a member, but also her unique ability to inspire and connect people to live their best lives. 
 
 – Winfrey will bring insight and strategy to program development and execution that reflects not only her own experiences as a member, but also her unique ability to inspire and connect people to live their best lives. Owner – Winfrey will purchase newly issued shares representing 10% of the shares outstanding and will receive options to acquire an additional 5% of the fully diluted shares. 
 
 "Weight Watchers and Oprah Winfrey make a powerful combination," said Ray Debbane, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Weight Watchers International, Inc. "Oprah is a force of nature in connecting with people on a very personal level to live inspired lives. This partnership will accelerate our transformation and will meaningfully expand our ability to impact many millions of people worldwide." 
 
 About Weight Watchers International, Inc. Weight Watchers International, Inc. is the world's leading commercial provider of weight management services, operating globally through a network of Company-owned and franchise operations. Weight Watchers holds more than 36,000 meetings each week where members receive group support and learn about healthy eating patterns, behavior modification and physical activity. Weight Watchers provides innovative, digital weight management products through its websites, mobile sites and apps. Weight Watchers is the leading provider of online subscription weight management products in the world. In addition, Weight Watchers offers a wide range of products, publications and programs for those interested in weight loss and weight control. 
 
 Media Contacts: Stacie Sherer for Weight Watchers Nicole Nichols for Oprah Winfrey 212.589.2737 323.602.5511 Stacie.Sherer@weightwatchers.com Nicole_Nichols@own.tv For Investor Inquiries: Corey Kinger for Weight Watchers 212.986.6667 kinger@braincomm.com 
 
 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151018/278031 
 
 SOURCE Weight Watchers International, Inc. 

 FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015, file photo, Oprah Winfrey attends the premiere of the Oprah Winfrey Network's (OWN) documentary series "Belief," at The TimesCenter in New York. Weight Watchers... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015, file photo, Oprah Winfrey attends the premiere of the Oprah Winfrey Network's (OWN) documentary series "Belief," at The TimesCenter in New York. Weight Watchers... (Associated Press) 
 
 NEW YORK (AP) — Oprah Winfrey is paying about $43.2 million for a 10 percent stake in Weight Watchers and is joining the weight management company's board. 
 
 The company's shares are up almost 75 percent in premarket trading on word of the deal. 
 
 Weight Watchers International Inc. said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday that as part of a five-year agreement, Winfrey has given the company the right to use her name, image, likeness and endorsement for the company, its programs, products and services, subject to her approval. She will also make personal appearances on the company's behalf. 
 
 For her part, Winfrey has the right to use Weight Watchers marks to collaborate with and promote the company, its programs, products and services. Winfrey will consult with Weight Watchers and help in the development, planning and execution of its program and related initiatives. 
 
 "We are expanding our purpose from focusing on weight loss alone to more broadly helping people lead a healthier, happier life," said Weight Watchers President and CEO Jim Chambers said in a written statement. 
 
 Winfrey is buying approximately 6.4 million shares of Weight Watchers at $6.79 per share. She will also receive options to buy an additional 5 percent of the company's fully diluted shares. 
 
 The New York-based company's board expands from nine to 10 members with Winfrey's inclusion. 
 
 The agreement has additional successive one-year renewal terms. Winfrey's term on the Weight Watchers' board expires in 2018. 
 
 Weight Watcher's shares soared $5.09, or 75 percent, to $11.88 in premarket trading about an hour before the mart open. Its shares had been down 73 percent for the year through Friday. 

 Many a celebrity have signed on with Weight Watchers, as the de facto Hollywood way to simultaneously lose mega pounds, make mega bucks, and guarantee mega-good placement in tabloids and on the morning-show circuit about the “journey.” 
 
 But Weight Watchers announced this morning that it has teamed up with the celebrity holy grail: Oprah Winfrey. And you can bet Lady O is doing it way better than any star before her. 
 
 Winfrey purchased a 10 percent stake in the company, with the option to buy another 5 percent, the weight-loss company said in a statement Monday morning. The media queen also joined the program and “will candidly share her experiences and perspective along the way.” 
 
 “Weight Watchers has given me the tools to begin to make the lasting shift that I and so many of us who are struggling with weight have longed for,” Winfrey wrote. “I believe in the program so much I decided to invest in the company and partner in its evolution.” 
 
 Bringing her fans with her through her weight losses and gains is hardly new for Winfrey, who once wheeled a little red wagon filled with 67 pounds of fat in the late 1980s to illustrate how much weight she had lost. 
 
 She now joins the club of Hollywood stars who’ve famously shilled and shed for Weight Watchers, including Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Hudson, Sarah Ferguson, and Charles Barkley. 
 
 But the company now needs a major boost. Weight Watchers’s stock has tumbled nearly 77 percent this year. (Pre-market trading, buoyed by news of Oprah’s investment, lifted the stock by 37 percent.) Think of all the ways Winfrey can turn the place around: Weight Watchers–branded refrigeratooooooors!, a new book-club read on weight loss, a calorie-torching workout done by maniacally jumping on your couch. The possibilities are endless.
– "But not only am I the owner of 10% of Weight Watchers, I'm also a client." That's the upshot of Monday's big news from Oprah Winfrey, who has paid $43.2 million for a 10% stake in the company. It's part of a five-year deal that sees Winfrey—who USA Today describes as having had "a positive personal experience with the company's weight-loss program"—giving the company the right to use her name, image, and endorsement for the company and its programs and products and services (subject to her approval), reports the AP. A press release categorizes her involvement as being in three categories: Member, board member and adviser, and owner. In terms of the first, it states "Winfrey has joined the program and will candidly share her experiences and perspective along the way." Vanity Fair notes Winfrey is the latest in a list of impressive Weight Watchers celebrity alum, including Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Hudson, Sarah Ferguson, and Charles Barkley. But with its shares down 73% for the year through Friday, per the AP, the bump she's giving the company is a needed one. Shares were up 71% as of this writing.