"Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien" Delivers Top Ratings

NEW YORK, April 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hearst Television's acclaimed weekly political magazine show "Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien" expands its reach this week to 85% coverage of the United States. The show's average weekly audience has also seen rapid growth, nearly tripling since its first-season launch.  

In Hearst TV markets, "Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien" outperforms every broadcast TV Sunday morning political show with the exception of "Meet the Press" in the Adults 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 demographics, and it delivers more viewers than every weekend political show on cable.

"Matter of Fact viewers are clearly more interested in watching people converse rationally, using facts to further their point of view, rather than watching divisive rhetoric," said "Matter of Fact" anchor Soledad O'Brien. "Our new stations pursue stories and topics that affect millions of Americans which are so often under-reported -- crucial issues like the opioid epidemic, veterans' needs and post-traumatic stress, immigration, gerrymandering and health care."  

This week, the show added NBC-owned stations in New York, San Francisco and Hartford.  In New York, the show moved to NBC's flagship TV station NBC 4 New York / WNBC, Sundays at 5:30AM, right before their Sunday morning newscast. In San Francisco, "Matter of Fact" has joined the lineup of NBC Bay Area / KNTV, Sundays at 5AM PT. The show also has entered the Hartford market on NBC Connecticut / WVIT, Sundays at 5 AM ET.  

"We're pleased to add 'Matter of Fact' to our programming lineup and excited for our local viewers to kick off their Sunday mornings with Soledad O'Brien and her insightful interviews that highlight today's most important issues," said Eric Lerner, President and General Manager of NBC 4 New York.  

In Denver, "Matter of Fact" has a new home on KDVR-TV, where it premiered Sunday, April 2nd at 11:30PM, and in fall 2017 it will have a new home in Indianapolis on WTHR-TV and will enter the Nashville market on WTVF-TV.

"'Matter of Fact' has emerged as the top performing new general audience show in all of weekend syndication -- and, with these station additions, is now the fastest-growing weekend discussion program," said Emerson Coleman, vice president, programming at Hearst Television, who is the show's Executive in Charge of Production.   "We are connecting with viewers representing a cross-section of Americans in a way that few shows have done."

With the additions of the new stations, "Matter of Fact," produced by Hearst Television and distributed by Sony Pictures Television, will air on 123 TV stations, including 28 of the top 30 TV markets.  The new stations that began airing the show last Sunday contributed to 7.5% audience growth vs. the prior weekend in all Nielsen-metered markets and 36% growth in the non-Hearst TV markets that are metered. 

The full list of "Matter of Fact" stations and show times, as well as other information and video clips, can be found at the program's website, www.MatterofFact.tv.  Twitter followers can connect with the show via @matteroffacttv.

About Soledad O'Brien 
Soledad O'Brien, the host of MATTER OF FACT, is an award-winning producer, journalist, documentarian, and news anchor. She is CEO of Starfish Media Group, a multi-platform media production and distribution company. O'Brien has produced non-scripted programming, dozens of documentaries and presented live events, concert specials, and award shows on numerous platforms, including CNN, Nat Geo, HBO, NBC, MSNBC, A&E networks, and Lifetime. She reports for "HBO RealSports with Bryant Gumbel," the PBS NewsHour, and WebMD. She is the author of two critically acclaimed books and winner of multiple Emmy awards, the George Foster Peabody Award and the Alfred I. DuPont Award. Follow her on Twitter: @soledadobrien

About Hearst Television
Hearst Television owns and operates local television and radio stations serving 26 media markets across 39 states reaching over 21 million U.S. television households. Through its partnership with nearly all of the major networks, Hearst Television distributes national content over nearly 70 video channels including programming from ABC, NBC, CBS, CW, MY Net, MeTV, This TV, Estrella and more.  Hearst Television is recognized as one of the industry's premier companies, and has been honored with numerous awards for distinguished journalism, industry innovation, and community service.  Hearst Television is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst.  The Company's Web address is www.hearsttelevision.com.

About Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television is one of the television industry's leading content providers, producing and distributing programming worldwide in every genre and for every platform. In addition to managing one of the industry's largest libraries of award-winning feature films, television shows and formats, SPT is home to a thriving US production business and operates 17 wholly-owned or joint venture production companies in 13 countries around the world. SPT's worldwide networks portfolio includes 150 channel feeds, which are available in 178 countries reaching more than 1.3 billion cumulative households worldwide. Sony Pictures Television (SPT) is a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company. 

SOURCE Hearst Television

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