In this July 1, 2011 photo released by ABC, ABC News' Diane Sawyer, left, speaks with Jaycee Dugard in Ojai, Calif., during her first interview since being kidnapped near her California home in 1991, when she was 11. Dugard wrote a memoir, titled "A Stolen Life," which recounts her ordeal in detail. The exclusive interview airs Sunday, July 10 at 9:00 p.m. EDT on ABC.
(AP Photo/ABC News)
ABC draws big audience for Jaycee Dugard interview
In this July 1, 2011 photo released by ABC, ABC News' Diane Sawyer, left, speaks with Jaycee Dugard in Ojai, Calif., during her first interview since being kidnapped near her California home in 1991, when she was 11. Dugard wrote a memoir, titled "A Stolen Life," which recounts her ordeal in detail. The exclusive interview airs Sunday, July 10 at 9:00 p.m. EDT on ABC.
(AP Photo/ABC News)
NEW YORK—The story of a California woman kidnapped and held prisoner by a sex offender for 18 years has proven compelling for television viewers.
The Nielsen Co. says 14.8 million people watched ABC's Diane Sawyer interview Jaycee Dugard in a two-hour special Sunday. Dugard, who was 11 when she was kidnapped and is now 31, has a memoir about her experience being published on Tuesday.
The audience was more than triple the number of people who watched a couple of drama reruns on ABC the previous Sunday night. It was the most-watched summertime newsmagazine since a 2004 episode of "60 Minutes."
It was also the most-watched Sunday night program on ABC, not including sports, since the Academy Awards in February.
© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
