Saturday, January 17 was Whitney Houston night on Lifetime as the network premiered “Whitney,” its biopic based on the romantic life of Houston and husband Bobby Brown, one-hour special, “Bobby Brown: Remembering Whitney,” and “Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances,” hosted by long-time friend and the man who discovered her, Clive Davis. According to Nielsen Media Research ratings data, overall 11.8 million viewers tuned in during the event block (8:00 PM – 12:00 AM, ET/PT).
Airing at 8:00 PM, ET/PT and starring “All My Children” alum Yaya DaCosta in the title role of the iconic superstar, “Whitney” marked the directorial debut of Angela Bassett (“American Horror Story,” “What’s Love Got to Do With It?”). The movie attracted 4.5 million Total Viewers and averaged 2.2 million Adults 25-54, 2.1 million Adults 18-49, 1.6 million Women 18-49 and 1.6 million Women 25-54. It was the largest audience for a Lifetime movie since “Flowers in the Attic” last January.
Following “Whitney” at 10:00 PM, ET/PT was “Bobby Brown: Remembering Whitney,” hosted by Access Hollywood‘s Shaun Robinson. The special featured an exclusive, no-holds-barred interview with Houston’s ex-husband about the couple’s powerfully intense relationship. It delivered 4.1 million Total Viewers, 1.9 million Adults 25-54, 1.8 million Adults 18-49, 1.4 million Women 18-49 and 1.4 million Women 25-54.
At 11:00 PM, ET/PT, “Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances” delivered 3.2 million Total Viewers, 1.4 million Adults 25-54, 1.3 million Adults 18-49, 1.1 million Women 25-54 and 1.0 million Women 18-49.
“Whitney” was the most tweeted-about program for the day and Lifetime’s second most tweeted-about program ever (source: Nielsen, 1/17/15). In search, Whitney Houston ranked number one on Google Trends for the day.
Lifetime will encore the event block tonight, beginning at 8:00 PM, ET/PT with “Whitney.”