
CBS Paid A Pretty Penny For The Royal Exclusive
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Last night Meghan Markle and Prince Harry spilled the tea on why they fled Buckingham Palace for California.
In order to snag exclusive rights to the Oprah-led interview, CBS paid Lady O’s production company, Harpo Productions, between $7 million and $9 million. Talk about a princely sum.
Watching The Throne
Last year the prince and Ms. Markle stepped down from the throne and relinquished their duties as senior royals. As a result, the power couple no longer receives a stipend from Harry’s father, Prince Charles, or funds from the U.K. taxpayers.
But with a premium lifestyle and not-so-humble abode to pay for, the couple has been hustling to bring in income:
- Last year they inked a Netflix production deal worth a reported $100 million.
- The couple also attempted to trademark the brand “Sussex Royal,” but were stonewalled by British officials.
For its part, CBS was going to try to make a pound sterling or two. CBS was asking $325,000 for a 30-second ad on yesterday's interview, roughly double the cost of other primetime Sunday events.
The Takeaway: A spokesperson for the couple told the WSJ the royals didn’t receive any share of the Harpo licensing fee.