Americans Glued To Harry And Meghan's Wedding

On Saturday, May 19, 2018, an estimated 29.2 million Americans woke up early to tune in to the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The ceremony, which took place at Windsor Castle in England, was aired live on 15 channels from 7 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. EST. The high viewership numbers were likely due to Markle's American nationality, with a third of survey respondents claiming they were more likely to watch because of this. The nuptials garnered more viewers in the U.S. than the Super Bowl that year and far surpassed the American television ratings for Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in 2011.

The wedding had 29.2 million viewers in the US

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Saturday, May 19, 2018, at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in the United Kingdom, attracted a significant number of viewers in the United States. The event was highly anticipated, especially given that Meghan Markle, an American actress, was marrying into the British royal family.

The wedding ceremony was broadcast live across 15 networks in the U.S., including major channels such as ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox News Channel. The live coverage typically started around 7:00 a.m. ET and ended around 8:15 a.m. ET. According to Nielsen data, an estimated 29.2 million people in the United States tuned in to watch the royal wedding. This number represents a significant portion of the U.S. population, indicating the widespread interest in the event.

The high viewership can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, the marriage of Prince Harry, a member of the British royal family, to Meghan Markle, an American, naturally drew the attention of American audiences. Secondly, the wedding took place on a Saturday morning, making it more accessible for viewers to tune in. Additionally, the royal wedding attracted interest on social media, with 6.9 million total interactions on Facebook and Twitter, further contributing to the overall engagement around the event.

Compared to other notable weddings, the viewership for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's nuptials was impressive. The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011 garnered 22.8 million viewers across 11 networks in the U.S. In contrast, the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 was viewed by 17 million people across three broadcast networks, as cable television was not yet widely available.

The high viewership of 29.2 million in the United States for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle highlights the fascination and interest that Americans had for this royal event. The live broadcast across multiple networks and the social media interactions contributed to the large number of viewers who tuned in to witness this historic and captivating moment.

It drew a bigger audience than William and Kate's wedding

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018 drew a bigger audience than that of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in 2011. An estimated 29 million Americans tuned in to watch Harry and Meghan's wedding across 15 channels, compared to the 22.8 million who watched William and Kate's nuptials.

There are several factors that may have contributed to the higher viewership for Harry and Meghan's wedding. Firstly, Meghan Markle is American, and American audiences were naturally more interested in seeing one of their own marry into the British royal family. Secondly, William and Kate's wedding started earlier in the morning, at 6 am, which may have resulted in fewer people tuning in as it required a greater level of dedication to wake up early. Additionally, the rise in streaming options since 2011 may have also played a factor, as people could have watched the wedding online or on their mobile devices, which wouldn't be reflected in traditional television ratings.

While Harry and Meghan's wedding drew more viewers in the US, the trend was different in the UK. Approximately 18 million people in the UK watched Harry and Meghan's wedding, while William and Kate's wedding attracted a larger audience of 24 million Brits. This could be due to the fact that William was second in line to the British throne at the time of his wedding, while Harry was further down the line of succession. Additionally, William and Kate's wedding was made a public holiday in the UK, giving more people the opportunity to watch.

Overall, it's clear that both royal weddings captivated audiences on both sides of the pond and drew in millions of viewers worldwide. However, the combination of Meghan's American roots and a more viewer-friendly time slot gave Harry and Meghan's wedding the edge in terms of US viewership.

NBC averaged the most viewers of the US networks

NBC's strong performance is likely due to its well-established news division and Saturday morning news programs. The network has a history of leading in special news broadcasts, and the royal wedding was no exception. The high viewership numbers for NBC reflect the network's reputation and the appeal of the royal wedding among Americans.

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle captivated audiences in the US, with NBC attracting a significant number of viewers. The network's coverage, combined with the interest in the royal couple, contributed to NBC's success in drawing the largest crowd of viewers for this event.

It is worth noting that the royal wedding attracted more viewers than other popular programs. For example, the top shows on broadcast television, such as "The Big Bang Theory" and "Young Sheldon," average around 11.5 million viewers per week. In comparison, the royal wedding on NBC alone attracted 6.4 million viewers, showcasing the event's ability to draw a massive audience.

The high viewership numbers for NBC during the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle highlight the network's strength in news programming and the appeal of the royal couple in the United States.

It was live-streamed on several online platforms

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was one of the most highly anticipated events of the year, with an estimated 3 billion people expected to tune in worldwide. In the US, the wedding was aired live on 15 different broadcast and cable networks. It was also live-streamed on several online platforms, allowing those without a TV to watch the ceremony.

The royal wedding was available to stream on most major networks' websites and apps, such as ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC. Some networks, like ABC and CBS, required users to register with a pay-TV subscription or subscribe to their streaming service, while others, like NBC and Fox News, offered the live stream for free. The Reuters TV app also provided a live feed of the wedding.

Broadband-delivered live TV services, such as DirecTV Now, Hulu, FuboTV, Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, and YouTube TV, offered another way for Americans to stream the wedding. These services provided access to local TV broadcasts from major channels like ABC, CBS, and NBC, as well as cable networks such as CNN, E!, Fox News, and BBC America, ensuring that viewers could easily watch the wedding coverage. Additionally, these services offered cloud-based DVR capabilities, allowing users to record the wedding and watch it at a later time.

For those seeking a more irreverent take on the ceremony, the HBO Now app provided coverage with a comedic twist, featuring Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon as their alter egos, Cord Hosenbeck and Tish Cattigan.

The availability of live streaming options contributed to the expectation that the wedding would be the most live-streamed wedding in history. Dan Carney, senior vice president of operations of online video delivery company Limelight Networks, predicted that millions of Americans would choose to watch the wedding via live streaming rather than traditional cable networks.

It was also watched by 24 million people in the UK

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was watched by 24 million people in the UK, according to The Telegraph. This was a significant number, as it represented more than a third of the UK's population of 66 million. The UK audience was smaller than that of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in 2011, which was watched by 27 million people in the UK, according to Deadline.

The Harry-Meghan wedding was the most-watched TV event in the UK in 2018. However, it had a lower TV viewership in the UK than the weddings of William and Kate, and Prince Charles and Lady Diana. Around 18 million people in the UK watched the Harry-Meghan wedding on TV, compared to 27 million for William and Kate and 28.4 million for Charles and Diana. The lower TV viewership for the Harry-Meghan wedding may be partially due to increased internet interest. The BBC's coverage of the wedding on BBC One attracted 13.1 million viewers, while ITV drew 3.6 million viewers, and Sky News, Sky One, and BBC News each had about 500,000 viewers.

The Harry-Meghan wedding was widely reported as significant for its departure from traditional royal conventions and its inclusion of African-American culture in the service. It was described as a "landmark for African Americans" and Black British, black, and mixed-race women. The wedding was also expected to boost the British economy by up to £500 million, with an additional £300 million brought in by foreign tourists for travel and accommodation, and £50 million spent on merchandise and souvenirs.

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