Lance Armstrong Oprah Interview Sets Highest TV Rating In OWN History
Congrats to Oprah Winfrey. The buzz leading to the interview of Lance Armstrong admitting to doping on the Oprah Show, has paid off for the Oprah network. According to the latest TV ratings, 4.3 million viewers watched Oprah Winfrey’s no-holds-barred exclusive interview with Lance Armstrong “Oprah and Lance Armstrong: The Worldwide Exclusive” Part 1 (Thursday, January 17).
The special “Oprah’s Next Chapter” premiere episode (9 p.m.) marked the highest rated weekday telecast in OWN history across all key demos. Additionally, the telecast ranked #1 in OWN history across all key male demos (1.88 M25-54, 1.59 M18-49, .98 M18-34).
Thursday’s interview (9 p.m.) was the second highest network telecast to date garnering 3.2 million total viewers, posting strong triple-digit growth across the key demos versus year ago numbers (+855% W25-54, +931% total viewers). The second airing (10:30 p.m.) earned an additional 1.1 million viewers. OWN’s top telecast is “Oprah’s Next Chapter” featuring Whitney Houston’s family (March 11, 2012; 3.5 million viewers).
The conversation continues tonight as “Oprah and Lance Armstrong: The Worldwide Exclusive” Part 2 airs Friday, January 18 from 9-10 p.m. ET/PT on OWN and will be simultaneously streaming LIVE worldwide on Oprah.com. In the interview, Winfrey speaks with Armstrong in Austin, Texas about the alleged doping Scandal, years of accusations of cheating and use of performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career.
For more information, visit http://www.oprah.com/LanceArmstrong
“Oprah’s Next Chapter” Lance Armstrong (Thursday, January 17 from 9-10:30 p.m. ET/PT)
• 9 p.m. ET/PT: 2.10 W25-54; 3,174,523 million total viewers
• Growth versus year ago: +855% W25-54, +931% total viewers
• #1 weekday telecast in OWN history across all key demos
• #1 telecast in network history across all key men demos: 1.88 M25-54; 1.59 M18-49; .98 M18-34.
• 10:30 p.m. ET/PT: .80 W25-54; 1,119,000 million total viewers
• Growth versus year ago: +158% W25-54, +235% total viewers
Competitive data is not yet available.
Source: The Nielsen Company
OWN ratings are coverage ratings.