The UK broadcast of Oprah’s interview with Meghan and Harry had 11 million viewers

The UK broadcast of Oprah’s interview with Meghan and Harry had 11 million viewers

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The 110-minute ITV interview drew an average of 11.1 million viewers between 9 pm and 11 pm, according to the broadcaster. The audience peaked at more than 12.4 million people, or about a fifth of the UK’s population. More than half of the people watching television in the UK at the time were tuned in to the interview.

The TV special produced serious revelations. Meghan said that in her time as a family member, she had suicidal thoughts and that a royal member had racist conversations about the color of her baby’s skin. Harry talked about the lack of understanding of the price real life had on the couple’s mental health and racist treatment in the media.

The ratings are testament to the public’s curiosity about the royal couple, confidence in Winfrey as an interviewer, and the enduring power of the TV broadcast platform.

It produced the biggest ITV audience peak since the Rugby World Cup final in 2019, according to the broadcaster. About 2.2 million people broadcast the program through the ITV Hub on demand service, and millions more could reach it in the next few days.

British young people, who have a more favorable opinion of Meghan than older people, watched in droves. ITV said that 2.1 million people between 16 and 34 years old tuned in, or 71% of viewers in that age group.

The past year has seen some major television events in the UK. When Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the first coronavirus blockade in the UK on March 23, 2020, 28.3 million people watched for seven days on TV sets, tablets, PCs and smartphones, according to Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board.

The interview with Meghan and Harry also attracted a large audience in the United States. The CBS broadcast network, citing data from Nielsen, said the special had an average of 17.1 million viewers on Sunday night.

One reason Meghan has suffered racist coverage in the UK: the media is no different

In the fragmented television landscape in the United States, 17 million viewers are an impressive figure. For comparison, CBS had an average of 6.5 million viewers during the prime time of the previous Sunday night. The interview drew a larger audience than the latest Emmy and Golden Globe broadcasts. The Super Bowl is in a league of its own, with almost 100 million viewers.

Millions more people worldwide are expected to watch Oprah’s interview as it is broadcast in other markets.

– Brian Stelter contributed reporting.

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