Why ITV bosses don’t expect record ratings: Up to 7million people are expected to tune in for Harry and Meghan’s bombshell interview… but numbers are expected to suffer as most people will have already read about the US broadcast on social media
- TV insiders estimate only five to seven million will watch the ITV interview live
- Many may switch off if they decide they have already heard the highlights
- One ITV source said bosses would be disappointed with less than 8M viewers
Tonight’s Oprah interview is unlikely to draw record figures for ITV.
When Princess Diana was quizzed by Martin Bashir for the BBC’s Panorama programme in 1995, almost 23 million tuned in.
But TV insiders estimate only five to seven million will watch the ITV interview live, partly because there are now so many channels.
Many may switch off if they decide they have already heard the highlights on the news.
Although one ITV source said bosses would be disappointed with less than eight million viewers, another said that six to seven million would still be a good result, making it the biggest show of the week, beating Ant and Dec.
TV insiders estimate only five to seven million will watch the ITV interview live, partly because there are now so many channels
Many may switch off if they decide they have already heard the highlights on the news
Advertising revenue during the 110-minute programme could double the £1million ITV paid for it.
ITV is thought to have sold some 30-second slots for as much as £120,000, double its usual rate, with others going for £70,000 to £100,000.
While viewing numbers might not break records here, experts in the US expected audiences of more than 90 million.
That’s the current record set when Oprah sat down with Michael Jackson in 1993. ‘A lot of people can’t wait to finally get to hear from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle about what they’ve been going through the last two to three years,’ US journalist KJ Matthews said.