Oprah Winfrey Tweet Promoting OWN Show Irks Nielsen
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ABC, Inc.(NEW YORK) — Oprah Winfrey crossed the line when she promoted her new interview show on Twitter Sunday night.
As a new episode of Winfrey’s Next Chapter had begun on OWN, The New York Times reports Winfrey tweeted to her followers, “Every 1 who can please turn to OWN especially if u have a Neilsen [sic] box.”
The tweet was not as innocuous as it may seem. Nielsen believes it may be a possible violation of its policy against openly lobbying Nielsen box owners to watch a specific show or network.
Winfrey tells the Times in a statement that she’s removed the tweet from her feed at Nielsen’s request, adding, “I intended no harm and apologize for the reference.”
Nielsen will place an asterisk next to the ratings for Winfrey’s Next Chapter to reflect “possible biasing effect.”
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