Super plays for CBS with Harry and Meghan from Oprah. Spot prices doubled
About 17.1 million people watched Oprah Winfrey's Sunday night interview with Prince Harry and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle which aired on CBS, making it one of the most watched events of the television season. Special that in Italy will be broadcast this evening, Tuesday 9 March, at 9.30 pm, on TV8.
The two-hour interview, in which Ms. Markle revealed that she thought about suicide after joining the royal family and accused some of what she called "the institution of racism", also exploded on social media and in the British press.
The audience of 17.1 million, based on Nielsen's preliminary figures, will likely grow as final numbers arrive late and online viewing is added to the listening mix. The interview, one of the most popular events on television this season, didn't make it past the Super Bowl which drew over 90 million viewers on CBS last month.
The interview performance has surpassed most of the entertainment shows that have aired in recent times. For example, he beat NBC's show for the Golden Globe delivery, which drew 5.4 million viewers last week.
According to the comments collected, the interview shows that there is still a strong fascination for the British royal family in the United States. And it is no coincidence that one of the most popular shows on the Netflix Inc. platform is “The Crown”, a series about the royal family during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
The interview was even at the center of a question asked during Monday’s press conference at the White House to find out about President Biden’s reaction to the show. "Meghan Markle is a private citizen, as is Harry at this point," said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. "Anyone who shows up in public and talks about their struggles with mental health and tells their personal story shows courage, and that's certainly something the president believes in."
However, Prince Harry and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle on CBS have not matched the results of famous interviews broadcast in years past. A record figure was the 70 million people who watched Barbara Walters interview Monica Lewinsky in 1999 about her relationship with President Bill Clinton.
CBS, a company of ViacomCBS Inc, for the rights of the interview, according to sources in the Wall Street Journal, has reached an agreement between 7 million and 9 million dollars with Oprah Winfrey's company Harpo Productions. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle did not want compensation, as Oprah Winfrey said during the broadcast, confirming what was declared by the couple's spokesperson.
The rights to the show remain the property of Harpo Productions. CBS can air the special once and it will also be available on CBS.com for 30 days. However, it will not be available on the Paramount + streaming platform which also hosts CBS content.
The 30-second commercials during the program were sold by CBS for $ 325,000 per spot. A double price of what is usually sold such programs broadcast from 20 to 22 on Sundays.
