Talking is not cheap when it comes to Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle.
CBS VIAC 3.28%
is paying a $ 7 million to $ 9 million license for the rights to broadcast Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, according to people familiar with the pact.
The two-hour interview is scheduled for Sunday at CBS at 8 pm ET, after the popular news magazine from the network “60 Minutes”. Sunday is one of the biggest nights of television consumption.
As part of the agreement between CBS and Winfrey’s producer Harpo Productions, the chain also has rights to license the special on international markets. In the UK, the interview will air on ITV Monday. CBS is a unit of ViacomCBS Inc.
A spokeswoman for the couple said they were not being compensated for the interview.
CBS was looking for about $ 325,000 for 30 seconds of commercial time during the program, according to ad buyers, about twice the normal price of ad time in that period.
Harpo also presented Comcast Body
NBC and Walt Disney Co.
ABC, said people familiar with the situation.
Mrs. Winfrey has connections with CBS. She had a brief stint as a member of the “60 Minutes” team and is a longtime friend of CBS News anchor Gayle King. In addition, CBS owns the company that distributed Winfrey’s daytime talk show.
Prince Harry and Mrs Markle said last year that they would distance themselves from the British royal family. His departure was difficult. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as they are known, wanted to register the “Sussex Royal” trademark, but Buckingham Palace officials said no.
Sussex moved to Montecito, California, and focused on several endeavors to create audio and video content, including a five-year pact with Netflix Inc.
which is valued in the range of US $ 100 million, according to people who know the business.
The couple no longer receive a stipend from Prince Harry’s father, Prince Charles, or funds from the UK taxpayer.
Interest in the interview has heated up in recent days, after the release of clips promoting it, in which the couple talked about why they wanted to leave Buckingham Palace.
High-value TV interviews used to be a staple of open television. The networks would fight each other to get the main news creators or celebrities. While TV news divisions say they are reluctant to pay interviewees, they often end up licensing the footage or paying consultants high fees to see the subject.
In this case, CBS News is not involved in the interview, nor is it being promoted as a news event. The special is being programmed by the entertainment division of CBS.
—Max Colchester contributed to this article.
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It appeared in the print edition of March 6, 2021 as ‘CBS will pay with shame for the Sussex interview with Winfrey.’