Even as Meghan Markle and Prince Harry refused to take any payment from Oprah Winfrey for their tell-all interview, it is being speculated that CBS has shelled out millions of dollars to grab the exclusive right to air the episode. CBS reportedly paid a licensing fee of between $7 and $9 million to air the special, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Oprah with Meghan And Harry: A Primetime Special, will be aired on Sunday immediately after 60 Minutes. The two-hour interview will start at 8 p.m. ET, and will be simultaneously aired on CBS owned-and-operated stations and affiliates, as well as on CBS.com.
Show Divided Into Two Segments
According to the WSJ, the network competed with other networks including ABC and NBC to grab the rights to air the interview, which is being produced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions.
CBS paid a license fee of between $7 million and $9 million in the agreement, which gives CBS the rights to license the special in international markets including the U.K., where the interview is set to air Monday on ITV, according to sources familiar with the agreement who spoke to The Journal.
Forbes reported that a premium rate of about $325,000 for 30 seconds of air-time during the program is being charged by CBS from the advertisers, which is double the figure usually charged for a 30-second spot.
Divided into two segments, the first part of the interview includes a chat between Meghan and Oprah in which they discuss stepping into life as a royal to marriage and motherhood. Prince Harry joins Meghan and Oprah in the second segment where the couple talks about the future. The interview will be aired in UK through ITV on Monday.
Harry and Meghan Doing the Interview For Free?
Page Six revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex haven't charged Oprah anything for the interview. A spokeswoman for the Oprah Winfrey Network confirmed that the couple won't be collecting a paycheck and said that no donations are being made to their charity, the outlet reported.
In the latest preview clip from interview Meghan speaks about why she turned down Oprah's offer for an interview before the royal wedding in 2018. "I couldn't have said yes to you then, that wasn't my choice to make," she said.
Clarifying why she is doing the interview now, Meghan says: "We're on the other side of a lot of life experience that's happened and also that we have the ability to make our own choices in a way." She continued: "So as an adult who lived a really independent life to then go into this construct that is different than I think what people imagine it to be, it's really liberating to be able to have the right and the privilege in some ways to be able to say yes. I mean, I'm ready to talk."
In yet another explosive clip, Meghan speaks about the possible reaction from the Royal family. "I don't know how they could expect that after all of this time, we would still just be silent if there is an active role that the Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us," Meghan said adding, "And if that comes with risk of losing things, I mean I — there's a lot that's been lost already."
