By David Bauder, Media Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Worldwide viewership of Oprah Winfrey's interview with British royals Prince Harry and Meghan is up to nearly 50 million people — and counting — as CBS quickly scheduled a Friday night rerun for anyone who missed it the first time.
The estimate of 49.1 million viewers in 17 countries is sure to rise. Not all of the ratings are in, and CBS licensed the interview to air in more than 80 territories, the network said.
In the United States, the interview was seen by 17.8 million people on CBS, the Nielsen company said. It aired a night later in Britain, where ITV said it had 13.3 million viewers, a huge number for a smaller country.
CBS said the interview will be shown again Friday, from 8 to 10 p.m.
It was still a topic of conversation on Tuesday. In Britain, former CNN personality Piers Morgan quit the "Good Morning, Britain" program following a furor over comments he made criticizing the Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. He was dressed down by the show's weather forecaster and stormed off the set.
Winfrey's talk was the rare interview to exceed the hype. CBS had originally set aside 90 minutes for the broadcast but, after the interview actually took place, bumped it up to two hours.
The success is likely to have reverberations for the industry, perhaps most immediately bolstering broadcast television's case that it is still a potent force for showing big events.
It might also have networks looking for more big-name interviews. They used to be a staple of prime-time broadcast television, but are seen much less frequently now. Some of the big names that used to chase such interviews, like Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters, have stepped away from the business.
Powered by Winfrey and royals, CBS won the week with an average of 6 million viewers in primetime. ABC had 3.5 million, NBC had 3.2 million, Fox had 2.5 million, Univision had 1.3 million, Ion Television had 1.1 million and Telemundo had 1 million.
Fox News Channel led the cable networks, averaging 2.37 million viewers in primetime. MSNBC had 1.88 million, TNT had 1.41 million, CNN had 1.25 million and HGTV had 1.11 million.
ABC's "World News Tonight" won the evening news ratings race with an average of 9.3 million viewers. NBC's "Nightly News" had 7.5 million and the "CBS Evening News" had 5.5 million.
For the week of March 1-7, the top 20 programs, their networks and viewerships:
1. "Oprah with Meghan & Harry," CBS, 17.81 million.
2. "60 Minutes," CBS, 10.04 million.
3. "NCIS," CBS, 9.61 million.
4. "The Voice" (Monday), NBC, 7.9 million.
5. "Young Sheldon," CBS, 7.71 million.
6. "FBI," CBS, 7.37 million.
7. "911," Fox, 6.41 million.
8. "The Voice" (Tuesday), NBC, 6.36 million.
9. "Blue Bloods," CBS, 6.3 million.
10. "Equalizer," CBS, 5.87 million.
11. "FBI: Most Wanted," CBS, 5.74 million.
12. "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune," ABC, 5.72 million.
13. "Magnum, P.I.," CBS, 5.63 million.
14. "America's Funniest Home Videos," ABC, 5.59 million.
15. "911: Lone Star," Fox, 5.34 million.
16. "American Idol," ABC, 5.29 million.
17. "Mom," CBS, 5.28 million.
18. "B Positive," CBS, 5.07 million.
19. "The Bachelor," ABC, 4.74 million.
20. NBA Basketball: NBA All-Star Game, TNT, 4.67 million.
Mike Pierantozzi joins Movers+Shakers as exec creative director
Creative agency Movers+Shakers has appointed Mike Pierantozzi as executive creative director. In this new role, he will help guide the creative direction of Movers+Shakers’ socially-native campaigns. Pierantozzi will report to co-founder and chief creative officer Geoffrey Goldberg.
With nearly two decades of experience as a copywriter, creative director, and multi-platform storyteller, Pierantozzi brings a wealth of knowledge from his work with major brands including Kraft, Unilever, IBM, and Walmart. He has led the creation of award-winning campaigns for agencies like Red Tettemer, Ogilvy, The Brooklyn Brothers, TAXI, Saatchi & Saatchi, and most recently, Vayner, where he spearheaded culturally iconic work for Planters including “Death of Mr. Peanut.” He led the National Down Syndrome Society and Luvs account, whose “First Kid. Second Kid” campaign was awarded by the Effies, ADC, Clios and LIAs.
Outside of the office, Pierantozzi practices what he teaches brands. He’s gone viral multiple times on his own TikTok account, featuring comedic interactions with his son and a trombone. He’s accumulated 15K followers on TikTok.
“Mike brings a rare and awesome combination of deep social and platform experience, a keen eye for excellent storytelling, and a humble and kind approach to leadership,” said Goldberg. “Mike’s got a knack for turning brand stories into cultural movements, making him the perfect fit for Movers+Shakers. He’s got the kind of bold vision and attention to culture that fits perfectly with our mission to push creative boundaries and drive industry firsts. Plus, as a creator himself he has the innate ability to make people stop, laugh, and share--which is exactly what we’re about.”
“I’ve... Read More