MONTECITO: Oprah Winfrey's explosive interview with Prince Harry and Meghan reached an estimated 17.1 million viewers in the United States on Sunday.
That's according to preliminary numbers from the Nielsen company.
Winfrey guided the two as they discussed racism and dysfunction inside the royal family in a two-hour special on CBS.
CBS gave the interview a good time slot, following the popular newsmagazine "60 Minutes".
In an era when many people are making their own TV schedules, reaching that kind of live audiences is unusual now unless it's a big sporting event.
Nielsen said it had the largest audience for any prime-time entertainment special so far this television season.
In the interview, Meghan said she considered suicide, while Harry said he and his family were trapped in an oppressive institution.