Oprah Winfrey connected more than 17 million viewers last night

It was enough to take a look at social networks last night to anticipate that famed communicator Oprah Winfrey would dominate audiences in the United States with the two-hour special she presented, in which Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan made powerful statements about their experiences. with the life of royalty.

According to a Los Angeles Times release today, the special called “Oprah with Megan and Harry” reached 17.1 million coast-to-coast viewers in the United States via the CBS network. It was a production that, according to the newspaper, cost the television company $ 7 million in exclusive rights and for which the commercial cost was $ 350,000 per 30 seconds.

This audience reach is seen as impressive for a time when television competes with multiple digital platforms and where a broad generation prefers to access the Internet for instant access to related content.

Compared to other audience records, the interview to be seen tonight in England surpassed Winfrey’s February 1993 interview with the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, when it garnered 62 million viewers. At that time, national television only competed with cable systems.

However, last night’s special topped exclusive journalist Diane Sawyer with former Olympic champion Caitlyn Jenner on her change in life as a woman. The interview, held in April 2015, was viewed by 16.9 million people on ABC.