ABC draws big audience for Jaycee Dugard interview

[July 12, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- 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.

[Associated Press]

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