Princely Coup for Three

Three will screen Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, on Tuesday, a day after its US broadcast.

It will replace Married at First Sight Australia at 7.30 and also stream on ThreeNow.

Episode seven of MAFS will screen Wednesday and E8 on Thursday, instead of the re-run of Gand Designs NZ. Tuesday’s NCIS will shift from 9.05 to 9.30.

Meanwhile, trade papers report ITV outbid Discovery and Sky for the UK rights, paying around £1 million.

According to Variety:

ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group is selling the interview internationally, and it’s believed they were keen for the special to land with a free-to-air broadcaster, ensuring a large viewership. A prominent U.K. home for the interview is hugely important given the couple’s inextricable connection to the Royal Family, and it’s likely that Markle and Prince Harry would have also had a say on the matter.

The BBC counted itself out from airing the CBS special early on, and sources claim they were never involved in the bidding process to begin with. This isn’t surprising given the optics would have been problematic for the Beeb, which is set to air the Queen’s annual Commonwealth broadcast on Sunday, March 7 — the same day as the CBS interview.

Here’s the media release:

DISCOVERY NZ ACQUIRES CBS PRESENTS OPRAH WITH MEGHAN AND HARRY,

BROADCASTING TUESDAY MARCH 9TH, 7.30PM ON THREE.

Discovery NZ  has secured the broadcast rights to CBS PRESENTS OPRAH WITH MEGHAN AND HARRY, featuring Oprah Winfrey as she sits down with Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, for an intimate conversation to air Tuesday March 9th, 7.30pm on Three and ThreeNow.

Winfrey will speak with Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, in a wide-ranging interview, covering everything from stepping into life as a Royal, marriage, motherhood, philanthropic work to how she is handling life under intense public pressure.

Later, the two are joined by Prince Harry as they speak about their move to the United States and their future hopes and dreams for their expanding family.

The special is produced by Harpo Productions. Executive producers are Terry Wood and Tara Montgomery, co-executive producer is Brian Piotrowicz. The special is internationally distributed by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.

The two-hour primetime special is scheduled to air on Sunday, March 7 from 8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT on the CBS Television Network in the U.S.