Oprah, MultiChoice and Discovery executives, and the press, toast the start of TLC Entertainment and OWN on DStv in South Africa.

On Monday afternoon I attended the VIP reception for Oprah Winfrey at Summer Place in Hyde Park where MultiChoice, Discovery Networks International and Oprah Winfrey officially launched the new Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) programming block on the new TLC Entertainment (DStv 172) channel on DStv.

In attendance were Oprah Winfrey, as well as the top-tier executives from both MultiChoice and Discovery Network International for the region, a small group of selected journalists and editors from across South Africa, as well as a few selected ad sales clients, all buzzing about meeting the media mogul.

Eben Greyling, CEO of pay-TV platforms at Naspers; Imtiaz Patel, group CEO of MultiChoice South Africa; Collins Khumalo, CEO of MultiChoice South Africa; Aletta Alberts, general manager of content at MultiChoice South Africa, and several other content and marketing executives from MultiChoice were on hand to personally meet and listen to Oprah Winfrey.

From Discovery Networks International (DNI) in Europe jetted in a phalanx of executives to the exclusive TLC and OWN launch event such as Kasia Kieli, the president and managing director for Discovery Networks International's Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa (CEEMEA) region.

I also spoke to Lee Hobbs, the channel director for emerging business for Discovery Networks CEEMEA and James Gibbons, the senior vice president and country manager for emerging business for Discovery Networks CEEMEA, who stayed until late with MultiChoice executives and clearly had a great time at the event.

I also had some time to catch up with the doyenne of South African women's magazines, Jane Raphaely, the editor-in-chief of O The Oprah Magazine SA and the chairperson of Associated Media Publishing; and I chatted to the always awesome Samantha Page, the editor of O The Oprah Magazine SA.

Discovery asked journalists not to take any photos during the event. The food and drink throughout was top class and guests were welcomed with champagne.

Oprah Winfrey made the rounds after the official speeches when everyone went outside during the wonderful Johannesburg sunny afternoon and she talked with Discovery and MultiChoice executives.

Last year in June I bought the large and beautiful $50 high gloss coffee table book, The Oprah Winfrey Show - Reflections on an American Legacy, since books about television and TV shows is what I absolutely love to collect.

I was there before as a journalist several years ago when Oprah Winfrey was in South Africa previously to give her first O Magazine inspirational talk in Johannesburg.

I also saw her again when she was in Somerset West, and again at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens event, but when I got the TLC Entertainment OWN DStv invitation - and since I bought the book last year - I thought I would take it with me and ask if she would please maybe sign it.

"Ooh, good one!" said Oprah Winfrey when I took it out of my bag and handed her the pen. She wrote this on one of the book's golden inside pages: