How Netflix's 'The Crown' Benefited From Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Interview

An exclusive interview between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with Oprah Winfrey had strong numbers for CBS. Another media company probably benefited from the interview, as well.

What Happened: Viewership for “The Crown,” a series about the British royal family, rose around the airing of the interview.

Variety reports that Netflix Inc NFLX saw viewership for “The Crown” peak on March 1, the day after the show won several Golden Globes and highlights of the interview were released.

Viewership also spiked for “The Crown” the day the interview aired on ViacomCBS Inc's VIAC CBS network. Nielsen reports more than 21 million viewers in the U.S. watched the interview.

Average viewership was double the normal amount in many of the days surrounding the interview, according to data from ReelGood.

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Why It’s Important: “The Crown” is one of the most successful original shows for Netflix.

Netflix doesn’t release regular viewership metrics, but did say in January the show has been watched by over 100 million viewers since its launch.

Season 4 of “The Crown” was watched by more viewers in the first 28 days than any of the other three seasons, according to the company. At the 78th Annual Golden Globes on Feb. 4, the show won Best Drama, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress.

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The British royal family has distanced itself from "The Crown" and said it is inaccurate.

Prince Harry did say on “The Late Late Show with James Corden": “It gives you a rough idea about what lifestyle is, the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that.”

While Prince Harry said the "The Crown" is not accurate, he also offered up this during the Corden interview: “I’m way more comfortable with ‘The Crown’ that I am seeing the stories written about my family, my wife or myself.”

Two more seasons of “The Crown” are set to be released on Netflix. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle previously signed a deal for content on Netflix. 

Netflix passed the 200 million subscriber mark in 2020. 

Price Action: Netflix shares are up 1% to $507.49 on Friday.

(Photo: Emma Corrin portrays Princess Diana in the fourth season of "The Crown." Photo courtesy of IMdb.)