Good Night, and Good Luck, the play starring George Clooney, was broadcast live in its entirety June 7 on CNN.
The broadcast was a rousing success, reading 7.34 million viewers across the US and through the international streaming platforms on Max and CNN.com. In addition, 5.64 million people watched from the States, and an additional 1.7 million watched internationally.
The broadcast was the most popular piece of cable programming in the U.S. on June 7, and it was the third-largest event on the Max streaming platform so far this year.
This was not the first time Good Night, and Good Luck has broken records鈥攚hen it was running on Broadway, it was the first play in history to make over $4 million in the box office in one week.
The Clooney and Grant Heslov-penned play partnered with CNN for the broadcast, a first for the network. Though a Broadway performance being broadcast live is a rarity, it鈥檚 not without precedent. The 2016 Broadway revival of She Loves Me broadcast a live performance, and several productions鈥攊ncluding South Pacific, The Light in the Piazza, and Contact鈥攁ired live on PBS via the series Live From Lincoln Center. Even as far back as 1961 a performance of Show Girl, starring Carol Channing, was broadcast live to Canadian pay TV.
With a plot aptly fit for being telecast through a political news channel, the historical drama centers on a clash between famed journalist Edward R. Murrow and infamous U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy (of anti-communist HUAC fame.) The title comes from Murrow's signature sign-off on his show. The broadcast also included special pre-show coverage outside of the theatre, and following the live telecast of the performance, Anderson Cooper hosted a special on the fraught state of journalism today.
The broadcast was executive produced by George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Deena Katz, Todd Wagner, and Jeff Skoll. Good Night, and Good Luck finished its limited run June 7.
Flip through the productions Digital Broadway 半岛体育 below
